


Facing Darkness

by Runadaemon



Series: Advent 2019 [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien grows a spine, Alya finds her brain, Apologies abound, BAMF Women, Bamf marinette, Drabbles, Drama, Eventual Happy Ending, Flirtynette, Gen, How Do I Tag, Humor, Little shit Adrien, Multi, No Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Not Beta Read, Plot Twists, Subdrien, salt fic, self reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21643690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runadaemon/pseuds/Runadaemon
Summary: ML Advent 2019Series of drabbles that may or may not be related. First up? Accosting Marinette when she first gets to class has some surprises.Alternatively, hello darkness my old friend.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Series: Advent 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560289
Comments: 287
Kudos: 959





	1. There’s a darkness in her eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic for the fandom. I’m challenging myself to write a Drabble a day until Christmas, so I hope you enjoy. Some stories will be related, some will not. Unrelated will be listed as separate stories. They will all be listed in the same series though! 
> 
> For my comfort, they have been fighting akuma for 3 years now. This places them around 16-18. Lila is a common annoyance that pops up with drama on occasion.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

“Marinette, you really need to let your jealousy go.” Alya’s voice startled Marinette as she was dragging herself into the classroom on Monday morning. For once, there hadn’t been any akuma attacks over the weekend, but she’d been so wrapped up in her designs, she was still just as sleep deprived.

“Alya? What are you talking about?” Marinette frowned at Alya’s put-upon expression. She hadn’t been in the classroom for a full minute, and she was already facing drama. If Alya was talking about jealousy, it was likely about Lila. Alya’s sigh caught her attention.

“Girl, I know you’re super in love with you-know-who, but that’s no reason to be mean to every girl he hangs out with. Lila told me she saw you being mean to his fans at a photoshoot this weekend.” Alya looked disappointed. “I didn’t think you were the type of person to do that. What is up with you lately? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

Marinette frowned, several red flags popping up. “Alya, did Adrien even HAVE a photoshoot this weekend? If he did, I didn’t know about it. I haven’t left my house since Friday.” Even as she argued, she was prepared to not be believed. Alya may feel like she doesn’t know Marinette anymore, but Marinette was getting more and more familiar with Alya’s current personality and it wasn’t one she liked.

“What you are talking about? You know his schedule backwards and forwards. If he had a shoot-“ Alya paused. “IF he had a shoot. Marinette, haven’t you been keeping up with Adrien’s schedule lately?” Alya was frowning again, but it was a much more thoughtful frown than Marinette was used to seeing recently.

Marinette sighed and walked to their desk. No reason to air their whole conversation for the hallway AND the classroom. One place would be enough. Marinette ignored the few classmates standing around, not-so-quietly eavesdropping. She plopped into her seat and sighed. “No, Alya, I haven’t.” She tactfully didn’t add a comment about how her best friend should already know that. “I decided having a schedule devoted to one person that isn’t me was kinda stalkerish. I stopped doing that at least 3 weeks ago.”

Alya paled and dropped into her seat. It was obvious she was questioning why she didn’t know about this development and wasn’t liking the answer. “Wha-what made you decide that?” Marinette hummed to herself as she reached into her backpack and pulled out all of her homework for her first class.

“Well, a not-very-kind girl told me I was an obsessed stalker that should go kill myself. And after some things I’ve been told by… uh… you-know-you,” Marinette eyed the seat of the boy she’d been obsessed with for years. “I decided I didn’t know him well enough to really know it was love. I stepped back a while ago. I didn’t like who I was becoming.”

Alya’s eyes teared up. “But… But why am I only hearing about this now? What kinda bitch-face dumbass called you a stalker? I’ll fight them! Just tell me who, Mari!” Marinette gave her a resigned smile.

“The same dumbass that said she saw me at a photoshoot that may or may not have happened. But you won’t fight her. You haven’t yet.” Marinette silently returned to organizing her things for class while Alya sat frozen.

The darkness in Marinette’s eyes left her chilled to the core. If Marinette really had stopped crushing on Adrien weeks ago, and really hadn’t left her room all weekend, then the person to put that darkness in her cheerful friend had to have been….

OMAKE:

Nino and Adrien had been about ten steps behind Marinette, quietly joking about actually being later than their Class President. Suddenly, Adrien clenched a hand onto Nino’s shoulder and halted. Nino couldn’t hear anything, but Adrien certainly seemed to, based on his facial expressions.

Nino watched in fascination as Adrien froze in place, looked offended, then irritated, then thunderstruck. Adrien blinked wildly. For just a moment he seemed to bordering on ecstatic, before it rapidly switched to heartbroken. Nino took a step back as Adrien’s face switched to a mixture of the heartbreak and fury. He was surprised his reserved friend could look so scary.

Before Nino’s eyes, Adrien seemed to come back to himself and removed the hand he’d clamped onto Nino’s shoulder to keep the two in the hallway. Adrien blinked away tears “Nino, did Marinette like me?” As alarms began to go off in Nino’s head, Adrien continued quietly. “And am I really as awful as Voldemort to her now?” Adrien growled to himself. “Lila is going down!!”

Nino could only blink. What did he miss?


	2. Lila’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt is: Self destructive, speak, and delicious. Someone shouldn’t have pushed, someone spoke for the first time, and some are just there to reap the rewards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! Lila (from the comments) was very inspiring. I was originally gonna focus on Adrien with this chapter, but she took center stage! Happy Reading!

Adrien and Nino walked into the classroom with a few other students and sat quietly in their seats a minute or two before class was to start. Alya was too wrapped in her thoughts to notice, but Marinette blinked at the oddity of their silence. Adrien’s face held a completely unfamiliar expression to her, but Nino looked legitimately freaked out. He looked like she’d jumped into the Seine again. Nino’s eyes met Marinette’s as he sat and they looked so bewildered, Marinette found herself unable to say as much as a “Good morning!” to them.

“Alright class, please settle down.” Ms. Bustier strode into the already quiet room, Lila trailing behind her with an innocent look of concern. “I’ve heard some concerning information about a few students. Outside of class is your own time to do as you like, but please remember that as students of Dupont, you carry the responsibility of upholding our school name with you.”

  
Ms. Bustier’s eyes locked onto Marinette’s and Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m very disappointed in these students. If they would like to step forward and take responsibility now, perhaps the school will be more lenient with this breach of ethics.”

Marinette smiled innocently at her teacher and Lila alike. She had a solid alibi for the weekend, and no interest in bothering with more rumor mongering. To the entire class’s shock however, Adrien stood.

“A-Adrien?” Ms. Bustier was visibly shocked. Marinette couldn’t see Adrien’s face from her seat, but it appeared that he had locked onto Lila if the confusion and fear spreading across the detestable girl’s face were genuine.

“I need to take responsibility for something. I haven’t supported Marinette like I should have. She’s a great friend.” The class let out a collective groan that Adrien spoke through. “She’s been trying to help everyone, even when they don’t want to be helped, and I should have been upfront this whole time.”

“A-ADRIEN!” Lila’s screech cut across Adrien’s words. “You don’t have to defend her!” Lila was shouting now, obviously trying to take control of the situation. “We know she’s stalking you! You don’t have to bear with it! We can make her stop!”

“You WISH she was stalking me!” Adrien’s angry voice left a silence that felt like a vacuum. He turned to look over the class, never meeting Marinette’s eyes, but locking with everyone else present. His angry expression was one that sent chills across the spines of the class as a whole. Alya sat up straighter, finally really beginning to feel angry herself. Lila had just called Marinette a stalker, confirming that she was the source of the hateful comments Marinette mentioned.

“Marinette isn’t a stalker. A stalker would constantly try to get more and more from me. They would follow me around and interfere in my work. Leave creepy messages, steal my hair, take my belongings, touch me, insist I was theirs!” Marinette felt herself flinch as she recalled some things she’d done in her quest to make Adrien love her. She’d never stooped to permanently stealing anything except maybe that valentine, but his words hit way too close to home for her comfort. Thank goodness she’d let go of her crippling crush. Thank goodness he had messed up enough to knock her out of her delusions. “A Stalker would-”

“RIGHT!” Lila interrupted again, seeing an opportunity to turn this to her advantage. “She’s done all of that! Hasn’t she, everyone?” The class collectively gaped at Lila. No one spoke up, but she doggedly continued. She ignored the increasingly upset looks the class was giving her. “Alya! Tell him! She’s stolen his phone! She’s left creepy messages! She’s, she’s totally followed him around! Tell him! It’s not right to let her get away with that! You know it!” Lila’s eyes bored into Alya’s, demanding she stand up and confirm everything. Lila was demanding she fully betray her best friend.

***************************************************************************************************

Alya remained silent, locked into a staring match with Lila. It felt like she was just realizing she’d been swimming in slime. Had she really supported this disgusting attack on her best friend? Before she’d spoken to Marinette this morning, she would have definitely confirmed everything, seeing this as a good chance for an intervention before Marinette finally went too far. Attacking Adrien’s fans was just going too far. But now?

What had she been thinking? Marinette had done some really questionable things, but always with Adrien’s best interests at heart. She’d backed down when Adrien expressed interest in Kagami. She’d let Adrien believe her gift was from his father. Yeah, she’d left some embarrassing voicemails, and stolen his phone to delete them, but she hadn’t scoured the phone and stolen all the photos on it. She hadn’t replaced any of his contacts or kept anything she’d stolen. If she were a stalker, it was much more along the lines of a guardian spirit.

Yet here was Lila, trying to condemn her best friend as a stalker in front of her crush (former crush? Did she even still like him? Alya didn’t know and it was KILLING her), in front of her class and her teacher. Locked into the staring contest, she was surprised to see darkness growing in Lila’s eyes as well. But where Marinette’s had felt grieved and frustrated, Lila felt undeniably vicious. Had she been supporting this evil all along?

Alya cleared her throat. “Adrien?” Adrien, visibly fuming, looked at her. Alya finally broke eye contact with Lila to look at Adrien. “Did you have a photo shoot this weekend?” There was quiet murmuring from the class, some filling others in on what they’d overheard this morning, others wondering at the non sequitur. Adrien calmed down, almost smiling at Alya.

“No, I didn’t have a photoshoot this weekend. I also haven’t seen Marinette at all this weekend. I haven’t even seen Marinette outside of school for weeks, except in passing.” Adrien faced the front, where a visibly overwhelmed Ms. Bustier was silently trying to make sense of everything. “But I have seen Lila.”

The murmuring in the classroom increased. Lila noticeably began to panic. She tried to interrupt him “Adrien! Ad-“

“If anyone is my stalker, it’s her!” The class froze.

OMAKE:

“SHHHHHH! They’re having drama again!” The class next door to Ms. Bustier’s quieted down, and everyone crept to the doorway and wall, fitting where they could. Their teacher silently walked into the hallway and stood right outside the other class’s door.

The class had been taking bets on how long it would take before Lila’s crazy campaign against Marinette finally came to a head for years. This could be the moment! No one wanted to lose their money, so everyone was absolutely silent. The school bookkeeper took notes on the blackboard that their ‘listening ear’ signed to them. When the childhood friends learned LSF (Langue des Signes Françoise) together, they never imagined just how useful it would be for spying on the most dramatic class in the school. The class next door was a delicious source of income, and they shared a smile.

The teacher silently took out his cell phone and began recording. He’d been collecting evidence of the strange happenings in the classroom next door for the last two years, ever since Ms. Bustier moved up to the high school with her entire class. She had insisted on keeping the ‘Akuma class’ together, despite everyone’s protests against the idea. Something was really wrong with that class, and the rumors everyone heard about Vice President Dupain-Cheng just didn’t make sense if you had ever spoken to her. VP Dupain-Cheng was an incredibly kind girl, comforting others whenever they were upset, and preventing akumas almost daily. To hear that she was viciously bullying the Italian girl, and stalking that quiet model boy just didn’t seem possible, especially for anyone familiar with her workload.

“If anyone’s my stalker, it’s her!” There was a hushed cheer from his class, and he also smiled. It was a relief to finally hear that model boy speak up. Maybe they could finally figure out what was going on. He discreetly checked that his phone was getting good video of the classroom and settled in. This might be D-Day. He silently cheered. He’d bet on this month in the Teacher Betting Pool.


	3. Adrien’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila gets called out.  
> Adrien has fury and isn’t afraid to use it.  
> Alya May cry.
> 
> Or alternatively, Little_shit!Adrien hijacked this chapter.

The silence in the class room made the cheers next door sound even more surreal. How could anyone be cheering when the entire dynamics of their class for the last three years was being torn apart? Adrien stared at the front on the room, stance rigid but confident. Classmates began murmuring, confused to see the quiet and reserved student confidently calling his girlfriend a stalker. 

“Adrien? Why would you call your girlfriend a stalker?” Adrien spun around so fast he visibly wobbled. Kim, immediately regretting calling attention to himself puffed up in defense, brazening out the embarrassment. “You two have been dating or flirting or whatever you two do for years now. Why are you calling Lila stuff like that now?”

Alya had a front row seat to Adrien’s growing fury.  “Girlfriend?!” Adrien cried. “LILA?!” Alya quietly studied Adrien’s eyes. It felt like she was finally seeing her friends for the first time in  months, possibly  years. For years she’d watched Marinette and Lila clash over this reserved boy, but it was the first time she’d  ever  seen him so upset. Lila had told her  a few  months ago that she and Adrien were dating on the down-low, and the word had  spread through the class, if not the  entire  school, since. 

It had actually been an incredible source of frustration at the time, since Marinette had rolled her eyes and declared it to be a lie when Alya told her. Alya was a strong believer in the girl code and couldn’t believe Marinette would keep trying to ask out a guy that was taken. Lila’s tearful confessions of Marinette interfering in private dates had been working their way into her brain for months and creating a festering resentment in Alya. She’d genuinely thought Marinette was turning into a terrible person. But what if Adrien and Lila had never been dating?

“I wouldn’t date her if my Father ordered me to!!” The class gasped in shock, suitably impressed by the declaration. Adrien was renowned for always following his father’s orders ever  since he’d begun schooling three years ago. There had been rumors that his father would pull him out of school if he ever disobeyed. Alya absently noted another exuberant exclamation from next door,  too  preoccupied by the outright disgust in Adrien’s face to even wonder at it.

“Adrien! How could you say that?” Lila’s heartbroken cry came from the front, but only the most tenderhearted (Rose. Just Rose) even looked at her. There was something  incredibly  disquieting and fascinating about seeing a person that normally only ever smiled and stayed positive  grow  infuriated. Alya noted that Adrien was rapidly turning red, and edging into purple territory. It was by far the most unattractive she’d ever seen him, but she could finally see why Marinette might be attracted to him. 

“Lila is the most obsessive, most successful stalker I have ever had. Marinette has run interference for me for years, trying to keep Lila from ruining my life and I’ve stood by and let her be slandered for it. Marinette has NEVER gone over the line with me. She’s one of the best friends you could ever ask for, and I’ve utterly betrayed her by not speaking up.” Adrien was on a role, passionately espousing Marinette’s virtues, completely steamrolling over anything Lila was trying to say, and never even looking at Marinette, intent upon looking into every other classmate’s eyes.

“Lila has broken into my home, reported to my father about my activities, nearly gotten me taken out of school,” Marinette let out a small startled breath, and Alya and Adrien’s eyes both flicked to her.  That was the most notable reaction Marinette had shown all morning.  Alya noted that Marinette looked surprised but not shocked like everyone else. The two of them apparently had even more to discuss than Alya had realized. 

Adrien smoothly continued. “She’s followed me to work, made my coworkers quit out of frustration  so she could take their place! She’s even harassed my fans and gotten me grounded multiple times! But conveniently, she was allowed to ‘visit’ me,” It was just bizarre to see role model Adrien use finger quotations. “ Because she’s my father’s little informant. Marinette knew Lila was trying to isolate me.” 

Adrien’s chin wobbled the slightest bit before he resolutely continued. “Marinette kept her from going too far, and I never realized exactly how much crap all of you have given her over it. Not until this morning.” Adrien turned to Alya, staring deeply into her eyes.

“Marinette has never lied about Lila, at least as far as I know.” Alya was stunned. Adrien looked so angry, and it felt like it was all directed at Alya. Was she breathing? Why did it feel like the air was gone? “Marinette would never harass someone. Especially  without a really good reason. I trust her.  She’s only ever  tried to help everyone.” 

Adrien frowned and continued with a disapproving voice. “She’s even tried to help Lila. Why would you completely dismiss what Marinette has to say?” As Adrien’s eyes burned into Alya, she felt tears rising involuntarily. Why  would she have dismissed her best friend? For years, she’s completely discounted anything Marinette said about Lila, believing Lila over Marinette every time. 

“I-I-I!!” Alya found her voice clogged with unshed tears, preventing her from speaking. 

“I’ve heard enough!” Ms. Bustier’s voice rang out. “This isn’t at all what I started this discussion to address. Marinette!” Ms. Bustier startled even Adrien into turning around and Alya into forgetting her tears.  A few drops  ran down Alya’s face and she absently wiped them away.  Marinette simply sighed, resigned to what would likely happen.

“Yes, Ms. Bustier.” Marinette replied quietly, without any inflection in her voice. Alya flinched, wondering when Marinette had her exuberant way of speaking extinguished. Why  hadn’t she ever noticed? How long has Marinette been quietly giving up? How long had it been since she’d been a real friend to Marinette? Could she  even fix this amount of oversight?

“There’s been reports of misconduct from you.” Adrien made a choked sound, almost like an angry hiss that Ms. Bustier seemed to not hear. “Please report to the Principal’s office during lunch. Now everyone have a seat and let me get started with my lesson.” 

Ms. Bustier paused, then fixed Adrien with a frown. Surprisingly, Adrien only cowered for a few seconds before squaring his shoulders and matching her frown. “Adrien. I am extremely disappointed in you maligning your classmate like that. I never would have expected that of you.” 

OMAKE: 

The teacher watched through his phone as the Italian girl walked to her seat, very notably giving threatening glares to an indifferent Dupain-Cheng, and to an angry model.  He made note that Ms. Bustier not only saw the glares but deliberately turned her back to ignore it.  He waited until Ms. Bustier  began her lesson to end his recording, and checked her classroom for butterflies before returning to his class. 

His students scampered into their seats, and he glanced at the board. It looked like there were a few big winners from some of the bets that had been placed over a year ago. The bets everyone derided as a waste of money included “Agreste refusing to listen to his Father,” “Someone chewing Alya out and making her cry,” and “Lila self-destructing.” He hummed as he read over some of the results, silently comparing them to the teacher’s betting board hidden in the cabinets of the break room. 

“Alright class. I think today we should talk about public relations and malicious compliance. We’ll finish up with some abuse of power discussion, and I’d like to see an essay by Friday from everyone about what we’ve all heard today. You can pick any injustice you heard today. ” He let the excited chatter peter off before continuing.

“I expect well-reasoned papers with specific examples from other situations and the consequences others have faced for the same heinous mistakes. I look forward to reading your papers.” His class groaned and he grinned. Cheerfully humming, confident in his winnings, he turned to erase the board after discreetly snapping a photo. He adored the sound of misery in the morning.


	4. Interlude: Chloe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the class has one too many shocks, and someone finally folds.
> 
> Alternatively, Chloe wants a dress damnit, and if a girlfriend is included, she won’t be complaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I don’t even like drama, but I was expecting some shit to go down. Apparently the characters didn’t agree. I just.... I don’t even know. Wtf Chloe. Wtf.

Facing Darkness: Prompt- “What are you, Gay?” “Why, you interested?”

The class settled down, buzzing in their seats but too intimidated  by Ms. Bustier to really do anything with their restless energy. As everyone got ready to take notes, they believed the drama for the morning was done. They were wrong. So very wrong.

Chloe strolled through the open door as though she weren’t twenty minutes late. Ms. Bustier merely sighed and paused to let Chloe take her seat, but Chloe came to a stop before Marinette. Marinette blinked at her silently, willing to let Chloe start the interaction.

“Dupain-Cheng. I  _saw_ your insta. How much for the Queen Bee dress?” Chloe looked at her nails and ignored the teacher’s reddening face. Marinette sighed and dropped her chin into her hand as she gazed at Chloe speculatively. 

“Chloe. Depends on the fabric you want for it, but,” Marinette’s eyes roamed Chloe’s frame blatantly. “Considering you prefer the highest end fabric possible, we’re looking at about 500 Euros with a two week deadline at the earliest.” The entire class paused to process this newest shock. 

Marinette had designed a Queen Bee dress? And Marinette and Chloe were interacting without someone crying?  Marinette already had an estimate of what she would charge Chloe for it? Did Marinette just check Chloe out? 

If anyone ever asked, Lila would swear she didn’t intend to say a word. It just slipped out. “What are you, gay?” Lila immediately covered her mouth, but the damage was done. Rose looked hurt, Juleka looked surprisingly angry, and the various expressions around the room bordered between outright anger at her and confusion that she would even ask that. 

“Why, you interested?” Marinette cut her eyes to Lila. Then gave her a once-over without embarrassment. The class froze once more, before Alya and Adrien both choked, absolutely flabbergasted at Marinette’s sassy reply. 

“Wh-What?!” Adrien and Lila spoke in unison. Lila turned a damning shade of red, and an embarrassed smile warred with the mortification on her face. Adrien swung around to face Marinette, his face a study of indignation versus horror. Chloe raised one eyebrow, vaguely impressed at Marinette’s balls of titanium. 

“I would n-ne-never! I donb thinCK! OW!” Alya could only blink. Did Lila just flub her words at a possible pick up line from Marinette? Then bite her tongue? The redness in Lila’s face doubled, and began creeping down her neck noticeably.  Lila silently stared down at her desk and tried to become invisible, hand never moving from her mouth.  Well. This was a new notion worth later thought. 

Marinette smirked at Lila with bedroom eyes.  Several people swooned silently.  “While I admit you’re pretty, I need trust and respect in my relationships. Sorry Lila, I just can’t see myself with you.” Jaws around the room dropped. More people than Marinette would ever believe found themselves wondering if she’d be interested in them, if that was the only standard. Lila chose the wisest course and said nothing.

“Ahem. Dupain-Cheng. My dress?” Marinette returned her gaze to the Honeybee in front. The girls’ eyes locked together before Marinette’s eyebrow rose to match Chloe’s. 

“I’m still waiting for you to tell me if you’re willing to pay for it, Chloe.” Chloe flushed, caught off guard. Marinette looked vaguely surprised before she smiled at Chloe, realizing Chloe herself had lost the conversation thread. Alya could tell Chloe was flustered at the idea of Marinette being interested in girls. She’d made her interest in Adrien so obvious for years after all. Alya had harbored  suspicions that Marinette wasn’t fully straight, but the topic had never come up between them.

“Of-Of course I am! 500 Euros is nothing for a dress that pays homage to my beautiful hero form!” Chloe drew herself up, using her arrogance as an effective shield to hide her embarrassment. Marinette wasn’t deterred though, finding a flustered Chloe to be far cuter than usual. Maybe she had a thing for blondes.

Marinette simply nodded. “Two weeks okay?” Chloe shifted under Marinette’s piercing gaze, and nodded silently before moving to her seat. Alya watched in fascination as a blush creeped across Chloe’s face, all the way around to her neck. Adrien was still gaping at Marinette, as was most of the class. 

Once Marinette tore her eyes off of Chloe (and Alya  saw  Chloe slump in relief. That must have been a strong gaze), she found Adrien staring straight at her. “What?” Adrien wordlessly mouthed nonsense, trying and failing to ask anything.

Marinette blinked and frowned, thinking for a moment. “Oh. I guess blondes are my type? No biggie, right?” She  raised a shoulder and  smiled a polite smile at Adrien.  Alya could feel Adrien’s distress. Hell, Alya was feeling distress herself. 

“Marinette, you like gir-” Ms. Bustier slammed a book onto her desk, startling everyone into turning to face her. Alya cut her question off, too scared to continue. Ms. Bustier looked far more upset than most students had ever seen her before. 

“This is my lesson time. Pay attention or serve detention. Understood?!” The words were teacher-like, but the near screeching voice that delivered them belied her upset. Everyone cowered at their desks, exempting a few students that had obviously decided Ms. Bustier wasn’t a threat. However, silence settled and Ms. Bustier began her lecture once again. 

Chloe glanced back at Marinette warily, breath catching when Marinette met her gaze. As she spun back to face the teacher, she caught Adrien looking at her. Adrien looked incredibly conflicted, and Chloe had never seen him look at her that way before. It was like she’d killed his puppy and stolen every sweet he’d ever wanted. 

Why would Adrien look at her like that? Was this an alternate universe? Adrien was mad at her, Marinette was gay, and Lila was out-sassed by Marinette? Chloe felt overwhelmed, and settled into her seat, trying to ignore the various gazes burning into her. What would happen next? Adrien having a temper tantrum? Chloe almost laughed at the impossible idea, and pulled up the dress she was dying to wear, deciding she’d obviously gone over her thinking quota. Peasants were insane.

OMAKE:

“Nino. NINO.” Nino studiously ignored Adrien’s hiss. He could already guess where this was going, and he wasn’t paid nearly enough to listen to the bullshit he could feel coming.  “Nino, why did no one ever tell me how pretty Marinette is? Why wasn’t I warned that she could steal my breath? Where was the warning label?!  Nino, bro code!  Nino, she needs a warning label!”

Yup, Nino thought to himself. He was definitely not paid enough for this. He glanced at his best friend, and noticed the distressed, flushed face. He promptly mentally threw his hands up. No way was he discussing his former crush with his best bro today. Not after all the drama he’d already been subjected to this morning. Adrien had gotten the warning letter every classmate of Marinette’s received. He knew he had, because Adrien had laughed at the idea of Marinette being dangerous to someone, and thrown it out without reading it. 

Marinette didn’t come with a warning label, she came with a  whole  damn pamphlet, and each year the subscription expanded as she broke more hearts. It wasn’t his fault Adrien had thrown his copy out. He discreetly turned the music up and ignored Adrien’s identity crisis. He wasn’t going down that road again. Not today, Satan.


	5. Nino’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein chasing is trending, darkness is surprisingly sexy, and implications of witchcraft are asserted.
> 
> Alternatively, Adrien wasn’t finished, and Alya is shocked. Just shocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a bit long, sorry.  
> First: WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME I HAD SPACING ISSUES. I have to go fix my previous chapters now.  
> Second: I did not comb this chapter over for edits. If you find mistakes, please tell me.  
> Third:.....I hope you enjoy the chapter. Less laughs, but more shenanigans are ahead. Thanks for reading!

Facing Darkness: Prompt- “How the Hell was I supposed to know it would fall on me!”

At the first break, Ms. Bustier quickly gathered her things and nearly sprinted from the room. The speed with which Adrien followed her had everyone whispering again, and Alya noted Sabrina quietly talking to a steadily more incredulous Chloe. During class, Alya had seen Marinette texting her mom but before she could ask her about it, she was interrupted. 

“WHAT?! ADRIEN?!” The class quieted, heads swiveling to observe Chloe. Abruptly, she stood up and shook herself off. “That proves it. This is an alternate reality and I will find my way home after Dupain-Cheng coughs up that gorgeous dress. Ridiculous! This world is utterly ridiculous!” She stalked out of the room, ignoring anyone in her way, and causing a few people to stumble as she rammed past. Sabrina grabbed both their things and ran after her, not even calling out.

Alya couldn’t decide if she should laugh at Chloe or give her idea serious contemplation. Speaking of unbelievable things, Marinette had some explaining to do. “Mari-” She looked beside her to see Marinette gone. Glancing around, she saw the cute pink bag Marinette never let out of her sight leaving the room. 

Alya vaguely noted Nino turning to talk to her as she saw Lila with an incredibly irate expression following Marinette. Without another word she grabbed Nino’s arm as she sprinted after the girls. Nino gave a very annoyed sigh but joined her stalking game silently. Apparently even he knew something was up.

Marinette went into the girl’s lavatory and after Lila looked around while Alya and Nino peeked around the corner, followed her in. Alya nearly crashed into the wall next to the bathroom in her rush to get to the door. Gently pressing the door open slowly and gently enough to not be noticeable, she peeked inside.

“-Don’t even care, Lila. Go play your fantasies with someone that will stoop to your level.” Marinette’s voice carried out, soft but implacable. Alya eased her foot inside to hold the door and concentrated on the conversation as Nino finally joined her on the other side of the door. 

“You fucking bitch!” Despite all her wonderings earlier, it was still shocking to hear the venom in Lila’s voice. Nino jolted slightly, and then she saw him hitting record on his phone and pointing it to the bathroom. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to do that herself. “You think you’re soooo hot. You think you’re above me? I’m gonna drag you kicking and screaming into the gutter, you little  slut!” Alya bristled, ready to go in and tear this lying hussy a new one but a sound stopped her.

Marinette’s laughter froze everyone. It wasn’t a spiteful laugh, nor forced. Marineete genuinely sounded amused. “Are you calling me a slut because I don’t wanna date you, Lila? My Creator, you resorted to negging? Great Creator, I can’t even!” Marinette’s laughter spilled once more. 

Alya winced in involuntary sympathy. Lila’s entire visible skin was rapidly turning red again. Alya was certain it was embarrassment, but there was likely some fury in there too. Alya knew her BF had a snarky inner core, but the level of savage Marinette had been showing lately was unprecedented. 

“Shut up!!” Lila nearly screamed. “Stop laughing! You should be on your knees begging for me to have mercy, you imbecile! You-” Marinette snorted and cut Lila off, amusement still leaking into her voice.

“I didn’t realize you had a Slave kink, Lila.” Marinette’s drawl was sensuous and dark, Alya and Nino gulping in sync at the sudden shift in atmosphere. “ I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you pretty little liar. I’m not going to just do what you want.” Marinette leaned in, her face inches from Lila’s scarlet face and gaping mouth. “I’m just not into that.”

  
Marinette turned to enter a stall, shooting one last look at Lila as she cleared the door. “I don’t know if you get off on listening to others use the restroom, so you could please leave? I really don’t want you any more fixated on me than you already are, Ms. Stalker.” The stall door snapped closed and locked. Lila let out a primal scream and slammed her fists on the stall door before presumably turning to leave the room.

The scream startled Alya and Nino enough that Alya’s foot slipped from its place, allowing the door to slam closed and nearly crashing into Nino’s phone. “Shit!” Alya hissed and grabbed Nino’s arm as she sprinted for the next corner. 

As they turned the corner they heard Lila’s voice “Come back! You don’t understand…!” Rather than get caught red-handed, they ran together until they got back to the classroom, red-faced and out of breath. Nino fumbled with his phone, quickly sending the video clip to Alya’s phone and deleting it off of his. 

“Goodness, you two play a little too much ‘Super Penguino’ or something?” Alix’s voice startled them, and Alya squeaked. She coughed and turned to see Alix. Unable to think of a better excuse, she nodded. 

“Something like that.” Nino choked and Alya elbowed him. Drawing away from everyone else, she hissed at Nino.

“Why did you send it to me?!” Nino gave her the most eloquent ‘You’re crazy and I’m about to tell you why’ stare she’d ever seen from him before. 

“Well first off, I don’t want a video of a psycho-bitch on my phone. But more importantly,” Nino leaned forward to hiss back. “Do you have any idea the shit I’d be in if someone saw me recording stuff going down in a GIRLS bathroom? I’d be lucky to be labeled a pervert!” Alya tried to think of a rebuttal but came up empty. Today was just really not her day. She was gonna have to give Chloe’s theory of an alternate reality more credit.

“How the Hell was I supposed to know it would fall on me!” Blinking they turned to see Alix laughing her ass off as Kim grumbled, holding an apple. Max heaved a sigh, with his trademark ‘This idiot will never learn’ face. 

“What goes up must come down. Where did you think it would fall when you threw it straight up?” Max’s voice was devoid of any inflection, but everyone in hearing range was certain there was a ‘dumbass’ as the end of his question. 

“Lila said I was strong enough to lodge it into the ceiling! I didn’t expect it to fall down!” Kim defended himself. Without Lila to work her witch magic, Max and Alix both sighed and dropped their faces into their hands. 

“That’s pure idiocy. How would she know if you were strong enough to do that? And you do realize this ceiling is pretty high for a room, right?” Max explained his reasoning and Alya could swear she saw some intelligence emerging from the trio before Lila entered the room, panting slightly but obviously trying to hide it.

“What are you guys talking about?” Lila questioned with a sweet smile, as though she hadn’t been accused of being a stalker earlier that day, or been caught threatening (or being shot down? The jury was still undecided) another girl. Alix straightened up silently, watching Lila warily, while Max noticeably frowned before smoothing out his expression. Kim lit up with joy.

“Lila!” Kim blushed a bit, but was happy to get the girl in his corner. “You said I could lodge the apple in the ceiling, but it just fell down and hit me. Max was calling me an idiot, but I’m not, right?” Alya noticed Lila’s face twitch for a moment, and she realized Lila did that a lot. As Lila joined the trio, Nino drew her attention again.

“Als.” Nino stared into her eyes, completely serious. “You took that video, not me. Got it?” He gripped her shoulders when she blinked at him, not switching gears as quickly as he wanted. “Alya. My life is over if it gets out. So you took it, got it? You’re always taking invasive videos anyway. And you’re a girl, so it’s not a big deal for you. So do what you want with the video, I don’t know anything about it. You  understand?” Alya gulped.

Alya had never seen Nino’s eyes so grim and scary. It made sense. In this day and age, sexual misconduct or perversion was taken very seriously. He could be charged if he were leaked as the source. Suspension at the very least. That was without even considering what Lila might try to do to him for having evidence of her temper tantrum. Alya nodded, still thinking.

Nino was actually kinda hot when he got all serious and gripped her tight like this. Alya distractedly wondered if maybe she could get him to do this the next time they played ‘Super Penguino’. At the very least, she’d be thinking about this scene later, but they needed to get back to their seats for class. 

“I got it, Nino. Don’t worry. Let’s sit down, yeah?” Alya reached up and squeezed his hands, then led them to their seats and squeezed again with a smile before letting go. Alya noticed that Adrien wasn’t back yet, but Marinette was walking in with the teacher, smiling like she hadn’t just been called a slut by a serial liar a few minutes ago. How normal was that situation that it didn’t even phase Marinette anymore?

Consumed by her depressing thoughts, Alya didn’t meet Marinette’s eyes as she sat down. As the teacher cleared her throat and began lecturing, she found her eyes focused on Adrien’s empty seat. That boy would never miss class when he could be there. He’d fought too hard to get into public school to risk it with skipping. So where was he?

OMAKE:

The Janitor was startled when Ms. Bustier, a pleasant if strange and overly idealistic young teacher came zooming out of her classroom. With the height on her heels, he was incredibly impressed at the speed she was managing. 

The speed at which a pretty boy followed her left him gaping. He’d never seen a teacher being chased by a single student before. He scratched his head, sensing shenanigans. Discreetly setting his broom against the wall, he walked after the two, strolling along as though he was meaning to go their way. 

He saw the teacher sprint into the teacher’s lounge, and was flabbergasted to see the blonde boy slam the door open. A startled “OUCH!” echoed from the room into the hallway as the door hit Ms. Bustier. The Janitor paused. It seemed like she was trying to lock or block the door, so she knew he was following her and didn’t want him to. With a growing frown, he walked closer quietly. 

“Ms. Bustier, how dare you dismiss my concerns about that stalker, and blame Marinette!” The boy had a sweet voice, but the words were surprisingly cold. As Ms. Bustier gaped at the audacity of this child, the Janitor realized the situation may be serious. Stalkers were a serious problem here, especially with influential children attending. 

As cold as the boy’s words were, Ms. Bustier was the one that left him feeling like he’d been dumped with ice water. “Don’t be ridiculous, Adrien! Lila is your girlfriend, and even if you’re having a spat, calling her a stalker is just too far! You two have been cuddling and whispering and running off together for months! I’m not stupid. I won’t let you ruin that poor girl’s life just because she probably told you ‘no’ or something!” 

The Janitor blinked, certain he had to have imagined a professional teacher telling a student that he was lying about a serious situation. They had protocols for these situations. In fact, they had protocols for students cuddling and running off together as well, and it didn’t sound like she had followed protocol for any of these situations.  He knew they had protocols for all of this, because the whole school staff attended training for it every summer.  As he blinked at the pure insan ity of a teacher telling a student they were dating their stalker, he noticed a butterfly. A purple and black butterfly. 

“Oh fridgin’ fluffernutterMEISTER!” He announced as he started using his rag to bat the butterfly away. No akuma was gonna make this situation worse if he could help it! He had just cleaned this hallway, damnit!


	6. Ms. Sue’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which bets are won and lost, and someone is found wanting.
> 
> Alternatively, Adrien just wants to chew his teacher out, not get akumatized. The Janitor just wants this nonsense over with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this is only minorly edited. Please apprise me of any errors. 
> 
> I’m sorry it’s so late, I had an MRI this evening, and ended up immersed in my book for hours. Piers Anthony is addictive. So is Mercedes Lackey. The two together? Just utterly entrancing!
> 
> Ahem! Anyway! Thanks for reading and I’m really enjoying the suppositions in the comments. I hope you enjoy!

Facing Darkness 6: Prompt- Crisis, Aftermath, and dodge

Adrien seethed in quiet fury at his teacher’s accusation. He didn’t know where she would get the idea that he and Lila were ever dating, let alone that he was the type of person to ruin someone over ‘being told no’, but the implication alone was enough to rob him of breath. How dare she?! How dare this incomp-

“Oh fridgin’ fluffernutterMEISTER!” Adrien and Ms. Bustier both looked into the hallway to see the intimidating Janitor actually batting at an akuma. Both of their faces paled, realized how close they were to being akumatized.  Even now, the Janitor was bound to be taken over any minute! Adrien started glancing around for a place to hide so he could transform, but there wasn’t anything nearby. Gulping, he looked back at this disaster in the making. 

To the absolute shock of Adrien, the Janitor was winning! “How is he doing that? ” Adrien whispered. He couldn’t believe the akuma hadn’t already sunk into the rag the Janitor was using.  But before his disbelieving eyes, the akuma was steadily losing ground, until the Janitor briskly slapped it straight into a wall. The akuma didn’t resurface, even after a couple minutes of the three staring at the wall where it retreated.

With a satisfied huff, the Janitor turned around and frowned at the two standing frozen in the doorway. “I think we need to take this talk to the principal before that little menace ruins my hard work!” Adrien gaped silently as the Janitor walked up to join them, gently gripping both of their shoulders. As he felt himself being gently hustled towards the Principal’s office,  he could hardly gather speak , but he had to try.

“How did you do that?” Adrien asked breathlessly. He absently noted that he’d interrupted Ms. Bustier’s tirade against being sent to the office like a child, but obviously her whining wasn’t as important as finding out how to battle akuma as a civilian. Ms. Bustier huffed and fell silent, obviously just as interested in finding out. The Janitor gave a laugh.

“I learned that trick from our little VP! Saw her battling akumas away from herself a couple times, asked her how she did it.” Adrien and Ms. Bustier felt their stomachs drop. How often did it happen that she was used to fighting off akuma  until  someone noticed it MORE THAN ONCE? 

The Janitor noticed their green faces, nodding sagely. “I know, I couldn’t believe that poor girl has been bullied so relentlessly. And the little sausage girl just gets away with it! Why, if I knew how to catch her in the act without ending up on charges, I’d have brought it to the principal myself! But you know how the school is about proof. Sausage girl always corners her in the bathroom, so I can’t exactly intervene.”

Adrien found himself taking deep, calming breaths. Bad enough he’d nearly been akumatized once.  He couldn’t afford to actually get akumatized. He couldn’t make up for being a terrible friend if he couldn’t keep calm right now. So Marinette has been dealing with this…this crisis without anyone’s help, and even active obstruction from his stupid advice. ‘Not hurting anyone’ his stupid airheaded ass. No wonder Plagg gave him the silent treatment for days after that. 

Ms. Bustier was notably silent for the rest of the walk. The Janitor frowned at the two, concerned by their upset expressions. Thinking of something to distract them with, he continued his story. “Anyway, that sweet bakery girl, our little VP? She has a genius way of dealing with them. Calm yourself, no emotions except ‘this needs to get done and I am the one to do it!’ she said. Tell yourself that the entire time you’re fighting it, and it’ll lose ground. I’ve chased out over a dozen akuma in the weeks since she told me, no few  of them  going after her! I was happy to do it though. Those menaces always disrupt everyone’s day.” They arrived at the office, and he pushed them to stand in front of the Secretary. “These two need to see the Principal, Ms. Sue. This lady here was saying some things that are completely contrary to our training.” The welcoming smile on Ms. Sue’s face faded, replaced by a worried frown. The Janitor gave her a significant look. “ _Completely_ contrary to our training.”

“I see…” She looked down, obviously sending a message to the Principal before clicking through her computer. “Ms. Bustier, weren’t you at the training this past summer?” Ms. Bustier appeared startled at being addressed, busy seething at the way the Janitor had made her seem incompetent. 

“What? What training?” The genuine confusion on her face made Ms. Sue ’s frown deepen. She started clicking more pages on the computer, growing more and more frantic as she wasn’t finding what she’d been looking for. 

“The training we have every summer. It’s why you’re paid year round, despite school being out. Haven’t you taken any of the training classes since you joined us two years ago? What are you doing during the summer if you’re not here taking the classes?” The Secretary was sounding more and more appalled, realizing a teacher had fallen through the cracks. 

“I don’t know anything about any summer training. I go on vacation to visit my relatives out of the country every summer. No one told me about training, and I’ve been teaching at Dupont for 4 years!” Ms. Bustier was confused and indignant. She could have gotten free training? She was going to be blamed for something that wasn’t her fault, she just knew it!

“Well, you’ve only been teaching the high school section for two, it seems. The middle school section doesn’t have the training, as their Principal has always been adamant that his staff doesn’t need it. Didn’t you wonder at the pay increase?” Ms. Sue stopped searching and sighed, giving up on finding anything.  She fired off another message.

“I just… I just thought it was because I’d been here longer, so I earned more…” Ms. Bustier trailed off. The Janitor and Secretary sighed together. This teacher hadn’t had the training required to remain at the school, and now they would have to figure out how she’d dodged the training at all, let alone for two years. Their bullying and harassment training was essential, but the ‘signs of stalking’ section alone would have been invaluable for this young teacher.  Didn’t she have several prominent students under her care?

“You should have gotten a letter when you changed to this section of Dupont before summer fully started the first year you transferred. It was sent to your residence in the 6 th sector of the city. Did you not receive any letters?” Ms. Sue glanced at the reply she’d gotten to her message and sighed before sending a long message to her boss. This was going to take  up  her entire lunch break, she could already tell. 

“I haven’t lived in the 6 th sector for at least 3 years. I moved after my first year teaching. Did I never change my living address?” Ms. Bustier flushed, realizing this may have actually been all her fault. Could she be fired for missing some training? She had a sinking suspicion she just might. 

The Secretary groaned. “Of course it would be a stupid error like this. This is exactly why I’ve told the Principal we need to send all discourse in three different formats for everything! Phone call, email, letter, or even  mailboxes at the school! ‘Oh but that’s such a waste of tiiiime!’” She mimicked in a nasally voice. 

The door to the Principal’s office opened, but she didn’t notice. “’Miss Sue, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Of course every teacher will stay up to date. And who has the time to record voice messages for every occasion! Why, the akuma alerts alone would be  far too time consuming, let alone any announcements!’” 

The Principal, an older man in his fifties coughed and cleared his throat behind her. Ms. Sue swung around, startled but not ashamed. As the two indulged in a staring contest, the Secretary raised an eye brow and the Principal sighed. “I admit, Ms. Sue, you may have had a point. At this point we need to determine if we can get her up to date in time, or if it would be more prudent to just hire someone new.” He glanced up and beckoned to the three waiting in front of the desk. 

“Come along, you three. I’d like to hear everything from the start.” As the Janitor, Adrien and Ms. Bustier followed him into the office, Adrien couldn’t help but wonder how he’d ended up here. He’d just wanted to protect his friend. He glanced at Ms. Bustier, noting the fear on her face. He didn’t mean to possibly get her fired.

OMAKE:

The boy leaving the restroom stared, utterly perplexed at seeing model boy going into the Principal’s office. Quickly snapping a shot with his phone, he texted it to the betting bookkeepers. His message was  simple: “Wasn’t there a bet that he’d end up in the Principal’s office?”

******

Alya once again jolted in shock. The cheers and groans coming from next door were so sudden. There was a strange high pitched squeal in the background going “50 to 1 odds! 50 to 1! Fiiiftiiiiiii!” She could have sworn they had science right now, not math.


	7. Juleka’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Alya finally catches Marinette, Lila catches Max, and Alix catches Juleka.  
> But who’s going to catch the butterfly?
> 
> Alternatively, ‘proof’ is a nebulous concept, but friendship is #goals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! I’m finding random spaces in my story that aren’t there in the original, so if you find anything, please tell me.

Facing Darkness 7:  Prompt- “ Damn it, why didn’t anyone tell me sharp objects hurt so much?”

By the time they broke for lunch, Adrien still hadn’t returned. Most of the class had taken to shifting around anxiously after Nino shook his head ‘No’ to Alya’s hissed “Photoshoot?” In this class, it never boded well to have someone missing.  The students steadily became more jumpy and nervous the longer their classmate was missing.  The teacher, catching their nerves was becoming waspish and irritable as well.

Alya noted that while Marinette looked concerned, it was  nowhere near the freak outs she used to have about Adrien. It looked far more like she was gearing up to do something  unpleasant than concerned about her favorite person. Alya was beginning to come to terms with the idea that  not only was  Marinette over Adrien (why that had happened was still killing her), but also that she’d had valid concerns about Lila. 

Speaking of Lila, she could hear the hushed whispering between Lila and  Max. Each time Alya had glanced over during class, Max had looked more dazed than the time before. There was something strange, possibly dangerous about that girl. Considering Max was a tech genius, it didn’t bode well for her phone if Lila learned of that incriminating video before they could use it to trap her. 

As the bell rang and the teacher dismissed everyone, huffily leaving the room, Alya sprang into action. Before Marinette could disappear again like she had during their last break, Alya gripped her hand and held on tightly. Marinette hadn’t exactly rejected Alya yet, but Alya couldn’t shake the feeling she was losing her friend each time she lost a chance to speak with her. 

“Marinette! Wait, I really need to talk to you.” Marinette paused, and looked at Alya contemplatively, but ultimately sighed and shook her head in the negative. Alya felt her heart sinking. Was it all too late? 

“Sorry Alya, but Ms. Bustier told me to go to the Principal’s office, remember? It’s lunch, so I need to get going.” Marinette stood up, gathering her things as she gently removed Alya’s hand from hers. Alya felt tears at the edge of her eyes, remembering how Marinette used to promise to catch up with her later anytime she had to run. 

“I’ll walk with you!” Alya shouted. She furiously scrubbed at her face, then gathered her things and put them in her bag as quickly as she could. Nino jumped at the sudden yell, glancing between the two girls before clearing his throat.

“I’d like to join you as well, Marinette. I need to talk to you.” Nino stood and followed the two girls out of the room, leaving Lila furiously glaring after them. Lila had almost been to Alya’s desk when she shouted and ran off. Cursing her missed opportunity, she swore she’d get her hands on them eventually.

“Lila, is something wrong?” Kim asked. Max was still looking dazed and confused, but  he also  focused  in  on Lila.  The two boys crowded around Lila, focused entirely on her.  None of the three noticed Alix standing to the side, staring.

Lila’s face twitched, and smoothed into a lonely smile. “I’m fine! I just… I worry what Marinette will come up with next. I don’t know how to get along with her.  She’s always spreading vicious gossip about me, and then to hit on me like that! Why would she ever think I like girls? That’s just insane!  Do you have any ideas?” As the two boys pondered and Lila soaked up their attention, Alix crept over to Rose and Juleka. They’d been withdrawn and noticeably upset since this morning’s  spectacle.

“Have you two noticed anything strange about Lila?” Alix asked in an undertone, watching to be sure Lila didn’t react to her name. As Lila led the boys away, likely to get lunch together, the girls watched them leave silently before answering.

“Yeah. We have.” Juleka’s voice sounded surprisingly angry.

*************

“Marinette, I am so sorry I haven’t been there for you. I don’t even know when I stopped being a real friend! I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. I swear it.” Alya rushed to get her apology out before she lost her chance. Marinette blinked at the rush of words, looking more at peace than she had in Alya’s recent memory. 

“Alya, I,” Marinette paused, carefully considering her words while her feet wandered ever closer to their destination. “I am really hurt. I really am. But I’ve missed you so much, and I’m willing to try if you are.” Marinette looked away, but felt Alya’s hand slip into hers and squeeze with gratitude. Looking into Alya’s eyes, she smiled from the heart at school for the first time in months.

“Marinette, dude.” Nino fiddled with his hat nervously. “I’m so sorry for not believing you. I don’t even know what I was thinking. You’re the chillest dude I know and I can’t believe I trusted some new chick over you because she seemed cool. That was super lame of me, dude. You have full permission to take my hat for good if I do something like that again. I’m sorry, dude.” Nino bowed his head, feeling like he couldn’t possibly apologize enough to make up for what he’d done. 

Marinette couldn’t help but smile at her old friend’s unique sincerity. “Got it. Next time you mess up this bad, that hat is mine, Nino. And I’m gonna completely redesign it if I take it. You got me?” Nino clutched his hat to his head, sweating bullets at the idea. Marinette winked at him playfully and he flushed, remembering suddenly why  he’d gotten a crush on her. He gulped and nodded, well aware that if he tried words after a Marinette Special, he’d squeak and stammer. 

Alya blinked at the interaction. She hadn’t ever seen the two behave so familiarly. Rather than point it out while she was on thin ice, she gripped Marinette’s hand and pulled her to a stop. They were almost to the office, and she needed to tell Marinette about the video. It could be their trump card!

“Marinette, I have to tell you. Earlier, we followed you and Lila to the bathroom.” Marinette looked surprised but not overly concerned. “Girl, we heard what went down.” Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed. “Girl, we can-”

“Don’t bother.” Marinette interrupted her coldly. Alya flushed and let go, embarrassed suddenly. “If it’s one person’s word against another, they never take a side here.” Marinette looked bitter, and Alya could see why. If Marinette had been harassed to the point that it didn’t  faze her anymore, she must have tried everything she could think of to get help already. 

“Marinette, dude, wait!” Nino hissed. “We’ve got video. Alya’s got video. I don’t have any kind of video because I don’t do that. So yeah. Video. Proof. We’ve got some. ALYA has some. Yeah.” Nino’s less than subtle cover up left Marinette staring suspiciously. But she also looked interested. 

“Is it video showing both of us? Because I’ve tried audio recording on my phone, and they said I could have tampered with it.” Alya and Nino exchanged a glance, realizing they’d never actually looked at the video.

“Uh, why don’t we check?” Alya suggested brightly. Marinette frowned, sensing something was off, but not sure what. She glanced down the hall to the Principal’s office, and noticed that there were very few students remaining. Sighing, she decided to risk it. This could be what she needed to get some changes going. 

“Sure, let’s watch. Be quick though.” Marinette leaned in, and Nino completed the impromptu huddle. Alya pulled up the video on her phone as quick as she could, hoping Marinette didn’t notice her pulling it from her messages and not her gallery. Unluckily for Nino, Marinette did notice. She sharply elbowed him as hard as she could. 

“OW! Damn it, why didn’t anyone tell me sharp objects hurt so much?!” Nino yelped out, gingerly rubbing his bruised ribs and pouting at Marinette. He knew he’d been caught, but at least it was Marinette and not a teacher.  “Did you have to do that, dude? That thing is like a knife!”

“You stupid idiot! Do you know what could have happened if it got linked to you?!” Marinette hissed, sounding more like a cat than Chat Noir on his best days. Alya was genuinely impressed at how difficult it was to understand the words, even standing right between the two of them. As Marinette began chewing Nino out, she quickly saved the video to her own gallery, and then deleted the incriminating video text. 

“We don’t have time for this right now. Let’s watch!” Alya stepped on both of their feet, getting their attention and ire in equal measure. Before they could snap at her, she started the video. 

“—think you’re soooo hot!” Ignoring the argument they’d all heard, they watched the video. At first all they could see was the door, and Marinette almost elbowed Nino again for the useless evidence, but then he’d apparently shifted so he could see inside too. The video was slanted terribly, but it was clearly identifiable as Lila and Marinette. Lila had Marinette almost backed into a stall, but Marinette stood strong, refusing to move while Lila  stabbed her with a finger. 

Nino must have shifted again, because suddenly the video was perfectly straight, but out of focus. It finally went back into focus as Marinette walked into the stall, telling Lila over her shoulder that she ‘wasn’t into that.’ Nino pumped his fist, excited to have clear evidence, while Alya paused the video and frowned at Marinette. 

Marinette was looking at the cell phone as though trying to see where it would fit in a puzzle. While she was distracted, Alya reached toward her and shamelessly pulled her collar down . Nino yelped and covered his eyes, unwilling to risk Marinette’s anger again so soon. Marinette flushed for a moment before grabbing Alya’s hand.

“What are you doing?” She demanded. Alya kept tugging, frowning down at her friend’s cleavage. “Alya!” Alya finally looked up,  rage growing and murder in her eyes. Marinette was startled enough that she slipped. “If you wanted my clothes off, at least take me on a date first.” She winced, knowing she’d probably just ruined her friendship. She’s gotten so flippant lately, it was bound to bite her in the ass eventually.

Alya flushed, letting go of the shirt, but still remaining murderous. “She bruised you!” Marinette was surprised, opening her shirt and looking inside. Just as Alya had said, there were three distinct round bruises where Lila had been jabbing her. “Isn’t that evidence enough?” Marinette  grimaced, knowing what she had to say wasn’t going to go over well. Nino looked up cautiously.

“Last time I tried to use a bruise as evidence, they said I was known for clumsiness and had no proof it came from a bully.” Nino growled. Alya almost didn’t hear him over her own snarl. How dare they invalidate their friend’s pain! How dare they!

Marinette glanced up and sighed. She should have known. Taking a deep breath, mentally fortifying herself, she grabbed a notebook from her bag and  began swiping at the butterfly coming after her friends. 

OMAKE: 

Ms. Sue stood just inside the door of the office, watching the three teenagers huddle up, then hit each other. According to her records, Ms. Marinette was overdue to meet the Principal, but not for the reason she would be expecting. She glanced at the Principal’s office to accidentally meet Mr. Adrien’s anxious eyes and vibrating leg. Ms. Bustier was staring at the ground,  pale and  unresponsive, and the Janitor was telling an entertained Principal about the recent adventures he’d had with something some students had broken. She offered Mr. Adrien a reassuring smile that he tentatively returned.

Glancing back into the hall, she gasped. Marinette was fighting off an akuma, just like the Janitor had said! She couldn’t believe he’d been telling the truth.  This could revolutionize the entire situation with Hawkbutt! But also, now she and the Principal both owed him 20 euros each. Fudgenutter!


	8. Bookkeeper’s ‘Darkness’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette proves herself, and Adrien discovers he may adore that girl.
> 
> Alternatively, be careful what you wish for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am genuinely sorry it’s so short. I had another scene planned for this chapter, but the day got away from me. Enjoy the snippet? I didn’t do any edits either, so point it out if you notice anything, please. It’s 2 am and I have to be up in 6 hours. Goodnight!

Facing Darkness 8: Prompt- “My student was crying today, told him to wipe his face because he’s a big boy, and he said ‘I’m allowed to have feelings’ …and I couldn’t say anything because he was right.”

“Akuma!” Ms. Sue’s voice startled everyone in the inner office to action. Some looked for hiding spots, and others checked their phones, but only one person ran towards the akuma. The Janitor paused at the threshold and could only laugh. 

“Our little VP has it handled, but I’ll assist, just in case!” He quickly whipped out his rag and ran to join Marinette’s efforts. His word sent everyone in the office rushing after him, most disbelieving him, but one prepared to be amazed by this girl once more. 

“Monsieur Lumiere!” Marinette’s surprised voice was all anyone could hear as the two teamed up and quickly drove the poor butterfly out of the window. They  surreptitiously fist bumped without ever looking away from the akuma, as the hall of people waited to hear if the akuma was coming back. As the akuma finally moved away from the school, Marinette and Mr. Lumiere turned to each other with victorious smiles.

“Thank you for your help! What are you doing over here? I thought you’d be at the café, trying to woo Madam Fifi by now.” Marinette happily chattered, and Mr. Lumiere smiled as he put his handy rag away once more. 

“Ah, well we had some things come up, Mademoiselle VP.” He chuckled at Marinette’s huff. He did love teasing this child. She was like the daughter he’d never had. “Actually, you may be-”

“Mon Dieu, I owe him 20 Euros.” The Principal’s groan interrupted their conversation and they both turned to look at the doorway. Alya and Nino were still standing in shock where Marinette had left them, but four heads were leaning out of the office gaping at them. Marinette found herself flushing at the adoration blatantly written across Adrien’s face. 

“Mr. Henderson, I apologize for my tardiness. Ms. Bustier said I needed to visit you today.” Marinette greeted the Principal as though she’d seen him many a time, and if Alya’s suspicions were true, she may well have.  Ms. Bustier jolted at hearing her name, and as the shock of the altercation wore off, her depression returned. 

Mr. Henderson coughed before standing straight and attempting to appear less discombobulated at the live demonstration of civilians fighting against Hawkmoth. It appeared there were many things he would need to rethink in regards to this little lady. “Yes, well, we’ve had a few things come up, and I felt it was necessary to speak with you. Please, come in, come in.” 

Marinette gave a tight smile and glanced at Ms. Sue. “Actually, I need to log more evidence as well, so this works out.” Ms. Sue gave a heartfelt groan, and even Mr. Henderson flinched. Marinette gestured Alya and Nino forward, and they all entered the office together. The normally open door swung shut with a snap.

OMAKE: 

Of the three students left in the hall, only one thought to discreetly take a photo of the VP and two of the akuma class entering the office. To make it even better, that model boy and Akuma teacher were in the background. She discreetly sent the photo off to the bookkeepers with a question. “Did anyone make a bet on this? Can I get a finders fee?”

The bookkeeper, enjoying a luxurious lunch after so many bets coming due today, groaned at the message before looking closely at the photo. He promptly started choking and thrust his phone at his partner. There had been a single bet on that particular combination entering the Principal’s office. They had beaten 150 odds against them. 

As the bookkeeper tried to not die, he thought to himself ‘I can’t decide if I want to kill that bakery girl or marry her!’ With another cough, he realized most of the school probably felt the same way. She was the type of girl to make all your dreams come true but leave you wondering if you really deserved them. 


	9. Adrien’s Sadness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya is offended, and Adrien gets to feel.
> 
> Alternatively, Mr. Henderson is a hypocrite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the scene I was gonna do yesterday but couldn’t do justice. I almost cried writing it, so I hope the emotions come through properly! Enjoy!

Facing Darkness 9: Prompt- - “My student was crying today, told him to wipe his face because he’s a big boy, and he said ‘I’m allowed to have feelings’ …and I couldn’t say anything because he was right.” (cont.)

“Well, I suppose we should start with your new evidence, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. If you could present it?” Ms. Sue took over the organization of this meeting. It would be chaos without her direction, she could already tell. She walked over to her desk and flipped through the drawer to find the evidence binder they kept for all accusations lodged in the Principal’s office. 

Marinette silently gestured for Alya’s phone, and Alya and Nino shared a glance before handing it over. This was entirely new territory for them. They were still simmering in rage, but the shock of the akuma nearly reaching them had settled their emotions a bit. They still hadn’t fully understood how Marinette was able to drive it away with a notebook, but they could always ask later . 

Marinette approached the desk, pulling up the video and setting it down, ready to play once the form had been filled out. “It’s a video with clear images of Lila Rossi threatening me in the bathroom.” Ms. Bustier and Adrien jolted with shock. This was the first Adrien had heard of any threatening. To Ms. Bustier’s shame, she recalled Marinette reporting such an event to her years ago and dismissing it out of hand. 

“She’s threatened you now?!” Adrien cried. “When did this start?!” Adrien stared at Marinette, almost hopeful this was a new event, and not something his stupidity had allowed to happen. Marinette took a breath, then turned to face him. 

“Three years ago, after her second appearance at school. She’s been regularly threatening me ever since. She’s smart though, and only ever did it in the bathroom, or out of the way where no one else was nearby.” Marinette’s eyes bored into his, and Adrien felt tears forming. He glanced away, trying to hold the tears back. He’d made things so much worse, and had proven he wasn’t trustworthy enough for Marinette to tell, when he told her Lila wasn’t hurting anyone. Why had he discounted his friend’s pain?

Ms. Sue coughed discreetly, drawing Marinette’s attention once more. “Right. Now, who is the originator of the evidence?” Marinette sighed. “Alya recorded it from the door.” Ms. Sue turned her attention to Alya. 

“Now why were you recording a private conversation, Ms. Alya?” Ms. Sue’s neutral tone didn’t seem to suit the leading question, and her irritated expression sent mixed signals to Alya and Nino. Alya frowned, offended and ready to fight for her friend.

“She called Marinette a bitch! As soon as we heard that, we started recording. It seemed like no one would ever believe Marinette if we didn’t have proof.” Alya’s head sunk in shame, realizing she’d never believed Marinette either. Ms. Sue’s mouth tightened, as though in distaste. Adrien bristled, tears beginning to leak out but he  was oblivious to it. Ms. Bustier looked shocked, but an increasingly large part of her was just folding in resignation. Mr. Henderson sighed, and Mr. Lumier frowned.

“Yes, and where did this conversation take place?” Ms. Sue’s hand hovered over the paper, dutifully filling in each blank spot. Alya blinked at her, noticing Ms. Sue’s eyes were fixed on Alya. Marinette already said where, didn’t she? Why was she asking again?

“Alya, as the originator, she has to hear it directly from you.” Marinette murmured to Alya. Alya turned indignant eyes to Marinette. They wouldn’t even take the dire ct word of the victim , despite being able to verify with the video itself? Alya took a deep breath and channeled her sarcastic, witty sister Nora. 

“In the  girls’ lavatory, on the second floor, closest to our classroom, Ma-Dam.” The sarcastic tilt to her words implied she was angry, but there was no fault to be found with the words themselves. Ms. Sue’s eyes reflected both irritation and understanding, looking down to record the information. Ms. Sue sighed. 

“And when did this event take place?” Alya frowned. Were they going to dismiss it because they hadn’t reported it immediately? Ms. Sue looked back at Alya neutrally, showing nothing.

“Between first and second period today.” Ms. Sue nodded. She wrote out the day’s date, and the break time in the space before glancing at Marinette. “Ms. Alya, please name all involved parties.” Alya wanted to tear her hair out with frustration. Why was this taking forever? Couldn’t they just watch the video?

Adrien’s hands clenched, and he ignored the tears he could feel dripping from his face. Mr. Henderson frowned at the boy’s theatrics, but remained silent to get the document taken care of as soon as possible. Ms. Bustier closed her eyes, resigned to the inevitable, and Nino laid a reassuring hand on Alya’s shoulder, silently giving her support. 

Alya took in the support gratefully, ignoring the little voice in her head whispering about how Marinette must have done this without anyone’s support multiple times. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Lila Rossi. Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiff as unseen witnesses. Ma-Dam.” Alya gave a  scowl masquerading as a smile. She was ready to scream at the Secretary, but knew it wouldn’t help.

“How did you determine this video was necessary? Was it the name calling?” Ms. Sue’s neutral voice was really beginning to irritate Alya and Adrien. Nino’s hand tightened slightly, but he showed no other signs of frustration. Alya contented herself with a simple “Yes,” in reply. 

“And finally, what does this video show?” Ms. Sue looked as done as Alya was. Marinette had maintained a neutral expression and pose the entire time, far more used to this process than anyone else was.  Alya couldn’t help herself. She snarled. 

“It shows my best friend being threatened by that little liar! And Marinette handled it far better than you or I could have! Why won’t you just WATCH it?!” Ms. Sue’s face tightened, but she simply looked down, filling in the words, and flipping the binder to have Alya and Nino sign as witnesses. 

Alya signed it irritably, ignoring the halfhearted admonishments from Ms. Bustier for ‘rudeness’. If they’d watch the video, they could get a move on and get that little lying stalker out of here! As Nino finished signing his name, Ms. Sue finally picked up the phone. The screen had already gone dark, so Alya impatiently reached out and unlocked it for her. 

“Alright, I’m going to start the video now. Mr. Henderson, please come serve as witness.” Mr. Henderson dutifully moved over Ms. Sue’s shoulder, and she pressed play. “-think you’re soooo hot!” Ms. Bustier jolted at the venomous tone coming from a girl who’d only ever sounded as sweet as sugar to her. 

She rushed to stand beside the Principal, suddenly needing to see for herself just how badly she’d misjudged her students. The Principal and Ms. Sue’s faces tightened at the vitriol, and the lack of video to prove it was Lila. The three adults leaned in when the video shifted and they could see the words matching the mouth movements of Lila Rossi. Mr. Henderson looked resigned, Ms. Sue viciously vindicated, and Ms. Bustier simply watched, notably heartbroken. 

They let the video play to the end, Ms. Sue making mental notes of what to add to the description of the evidence folder. They remained oblivious of the four teens, until Adrien let out a sob. Glancing up after the video had ended, Mr. Henderson huffed at the boy. “ Wipe your face, son. It wasn’t even you getting attacked.” Adrien’s face looked even more upset at the reprimand, but the tears kept coming and the sobs increased. 

Marinette stiffened, quickly  offering Adrien a handkerchief  and wrapping him in a hug . She glared at the Principal and he flinched. “He’s entitled to his feelings! You have no right to tell him not to feel!” Adrien buried his head between Marinette’s neck and shoulder, and let out a keening wail.  Mr. Henderson grimaced, feeling guilty.

“I’m so sooorrrrrry! It’s my fauuuult! I’m so-so-sorry, Mariiiii!” Adrien continued crying, clutching Marinette like a lifeline. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, and gave a significant look to Mr. Lumiere, who nodded and once more brandished his rag, ready and willing to defend this poor child. Alya and Nino rushed over, making the hug into a group effort and glaring at the adults. 

Ms. Bustier looked half a step away from crying herself, and Ms. Sue frantically finished filling in the report before straightening up and blatantly staring at Mr. Henderson in reprimand. “Of all the insensitive things to say to a child! Have you learned nothing from Hawkmoth! You let that boy process his emotions, and you apologize for trying to invalidate him! You’ve attended the same classes we have, were you napping through them?!”

Mr. Henderson guiltily shifted, unwilling to admit he’d ducked out occasionally. He looked at the huddle of teens trying to comfort a boy who wasn’t even the victim of the bully, before mentally revising himself. This boy had suffered from the same girl, being stalked for years by his own admission. It was probably more surprising he hadn’t been akumatized months ago. Mr. Henderson wondered how much of that was due to luck, and how much was likely thanks to Ms. Dupain-Cheng drawing the girl’s ire in his place. 

“Right,” He gruffly started. “I apologize, Mr. Agreste. It was wrong of me to say you couldn’t cry. When everyone is composed, we’ll have a seat in my office and work out everything that’s happened. Ms. Sue, please separate out all of Marinette’s complaints from the others and we’ll work through them all as a set.”

Adrien’s wails slowly petered off, and Mr. Lumiere relaxed his vigilant stance, quite surprised no akuma had come after the boy.  Adrien sniffled, and touched his sore eyes before wiping his nose with the handkerchief. He obviously wasn’t used to crying, leaning on Marinette for support and looking incredibly drowsy. Alya cooed and tried to take a picture before she realized the adults still had her phone. With a put-upon sigh, she grabbed Nino’s and discreetly took several shots before Marinette scowled at her. Alya guiltily dropped her hand and hid the phone in Nino’s pocket.

Ms. Sue separated out over twenty pages from the binder, and combed through the pages for any others. Ms. Bustier paled, seeing just how many incidents Marinette had likely been unable to trust her with. On the second comb through, Ms. Sue added a further five pages, and then quietly asked Mr. Henderson if she should look through last year’s files as well. He nervously scratched his nose before shaking his head in the negative discreetly. Ms. Bustier felt indignation beginning to well up. It wasn’t even halfway through the first semester, and Lila had been reported over 25 times? Why had no one told her any of this? She hadn’t heard anyone say anything about Lila besides Marinette and even that hadn’t happened this year! At least, not until today.... 

“Are you alright now, Adrien?” Marinette’s soothing voice had Adrien nodding before he’d even understood her question. He felt utterly drained, but also relieved and so safe. Marinette smelled like safety to him. He clung tighter to her, not willing to let go of this lifeline just yet. Marinette sighed before shuffling them both to the couch in Mr. Henderson’s office and sitting them down together. Adrien huddled as close as he could without sitting on her, and just continued taking deep soothing breaths of her neck. 

Nino scratched his head, obviously finding his friend’s behavior a little weird, but it was weirder how Marinette seemed completely composed. Alya and Ms. Bustier were simply speechless, having never imagined Marinette might be so used to caring for upset children. Mr. Lumiere and Ms. Sue traded smiles, always touched at the girl’s incredibly kind heart, and Mr. Henderson simply sat heavily in his chair. This was going to be a long meeting, he just knew it.

OMAKE:

Hawkmoth clenched his teeth, impotent fury coursing through his veins once more. Lately, he could rarely get to any of the deliciously strong emotions coming from his son’s school. He didn’t know why, only that his akuma was kept away from his victims until the emotions had petered off or  become masked by shock. At that point, they wouldn’t make good akuma anyway, and he had to call the akuma off. 

Grumbling at being denied twice within hours of each other, he let go of his transformation, fed Nooroo, and stalked back to his office. If he couldn’t get his real work done, he’d settle for some doodling. Designing. He meant designing.  He was designer, and everything he doodled *cough* drew was a priceless design.

Nathalie glanced at him, noticing his disappointment and sighing in relief.  He’d targeted too many people close to Adrien for her to be comfortable with his recent activities. Even if the wish fixed everything, it was debatable whether it would fix memories as well. ‘Please let Adrien never discover Hawkmoth was his father.’ She prayed. It would break this family worse than Emilie’s disappearance had.


	10. Everyone has a little darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story starts to make sense. We start to see where Lila has been concentrating her time.
> 
> Alternatively, stories conflict, but it still makes sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry! I was dead tired last night (I’m an insomniac and haven’t slept before 5 a.m. for several days, despite needing to be up at 9) so I missed. But I’m pushing out two chapters today to make up for it! Enjoy! And I’ll dedicate this to csad, since they’ve been very eager to see how this story could be different. ;)

Facing Darkness 10: No Prompt

Mr. Henderson cleared his t hroat as Adrien finally calmed down . Adrien gently nuzzled against Marinette’s shoulder and peek ed behind him. Ms. Bustier was seated in front of the desk, with Mr. Lumiere taking the last seat. Alya and Nino sat on the arms of the couch against the wall, and Ms. Sue stood by the door with a tablet for note-taking. Mr. Henderson had taken his seat behind his desk.

“Well,” Mr. Henderson trailed off, at a loss as to where to start. “I’ve been hearing about Ms. Rossi from Ms. Dupain-Cheng for the last two years, so let’s start with Ms. Bustier instead. Tell us in your own words any alarming signs you’ve seen from her, any work refusals, any missed classes, those things of things.” Ms. Bustier made a face, clearly unsure what to mark as ‘alarming’ signs. 

“Well, Ms. Rossi joined our class three years ago, and then missed several months traveling with her diplomat mother.” Marinette cleared her throat pointedly, but didn’t interrupt. Ms. Sue nodded at Marinette, made a note,  and then gestured for Ms. Bustier to return to her story. Glancing nervously at Marinette with a sinking feeling in her gut, she continued.

“After she rejoined the class, she had tinnitus in her left ear.” Marinette cleared her throat once more, and with a shaky voice, noting that Ms. Sue was making another note, Ms. Bustier kept talking. “So to accommodate her disability, we moved everyone’s seats around. I remember Marinette was upset about her seat, but everyone else was satisfied, so I left the seat choices to the students.” Mr. Henderson frowned. 

“To clarify, this was in college, yes?” Ms. Bustier nodded at Mr. Henderson’s question. “Right, then it ’s out of our hands . But for future reference, why would you leave the seating if a student was unhappy?”

“Well, it was just Marinette.” Alya’s hands tightened into fists, and the other adults in the room visibly stiffened. “No, I mean! If only one student is unhappy, then doesn’t the majority rule? And it was to accommodate a disability! I can’t be expected to cater to every student’s demands, but disabilities do have priority.” The other adults did not relax, and they did not look as though they agreed with her. Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and squeezed to show support, and Marinette smiled at him in thanks. Nino and Alya exchanged glances, both feeling guilty they had probably thought the same thing at the time. 

“Well, while that is not how a teacher at Dupont Lycee should conduct themselves, you were not at Lycee level. We’ll discuss proper seating arrangements at a later time. Did you get the doctor’s note and put it in her file?” Ms. Bustier frowned thoughtfully. 

“You know, I don’t actually recall a doctor’s note. And it doesn’t really matter since the tinnitus cleared up before she graduated from college.” Mr. Henderson exchanged alarmed glances with Ms. Sue. He raised his hand slightly and Ms. Bustier paused.

“So you rearranged the entire classroom without proof of a disability, left one student feeling very unhappy at her seat being changed, and then the disability that is normally a lifetime ailment, disappeared before the end of the year? Just a moment, I want to look this up.” Mr. Henderson began searching on his phone while Ms. Sue made several notes.

“Hm, so based on Monsieur Google, there is no cure for tinnitus, but it may come and go over time. A doctor can easily test for it though. So you had no proof of her disability, and it disappeared later. Has it reoccurred since?” Mr. Henderson’s voice remained neutral but there was a slight undertone of disbelief. 

“Well no, it hasn’t cropped up again. She has had other things pop up, such as very bad sinus headaches” Marinette huffed, Ms. Sue made a note, and Ms. Bustier continued. “She’s reported some injuries to her arms” *huff* “left leg once,” *groan* “and there was  one  time  when  she reported a neck injury.” Marinette clicked her tongue. Ms. Bustier swung towards the couch, irritated at all the interruptions. “If you have something to add, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, please do. These interruptions are NOT what I expect from you.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow and stared into Ms. Bustier’s eyes. “Does that mean you’re actually going to hear me when I say you’re wrong? Or will you ignore me again? Send me to the Principal as though disagreeing with you is an offense? Perhaps…” Marinette swept her eyes across everyone in the room before frowning at Ms. Bustier. “You’re going to expel me without due process again?” The room went frigidly silent. 

“Marinette, we’ve discussed this before. The evidence was clearly there, and expelling you was not my decision. Mr. Damocles chose that, and-” Ms. Bustier was interrupted by Mr. Henderson’s shocked voice. 

“She was expelled without due process? When was this?” Mr. Henderson was pale, realizing the school could be sued over a miscarriage of justice like that. Ms. Sue was frantically looking through records. 

“I don’t see any paperwork about being expelled.” She exclaimed. Ms. Bustier nervously glanced between the two.  It was difficult with one person in front of her and the other behind, but she managed.

“Well yes, this was still in college. Mr. Damocles, the principal there decided to expel Marinette for cheating and stealing. Lila’s the one that reported it.” Ms. Sue caught the change in address and frowned at the familiarity the teacher was using. 

“Why is it not in her records? She wouldn’t have been admitted here on such a high recommendation if she’d been expelled from our junior school.” Mr. Henderson questioned. Ms. Bustier looked flustered.

“Oh, yes, I actually am not sure what happened, but Mr. Damocles rescinded the expulsion, and I suppose it was wiped from her records.” No one paid attention to the quiet ‘Thank goodness ’ that came from the students. 

“ That may have been because it was an unlawful expulsion.  What theft? What cheating?” Ms. Sue was making notes again, and Ms. Bustier felt shivers creeping up her back again . 

“Well, she got a perfect score on a mock exam I gave, and I received a note saying she’d cheated. When I went to hand back the tests, I asked to see her backpack and found the exam answer key.” Mr. Lumiere frowned. 

“Well that doesn’t sound like our VP then.” Ms Bustier huffed, thoroughly tired of the defenses she was hearing yet again. She’d listened to all of her students arguing about it years ago, and every time it had ever come up again, everyone defended Marinette.

“Yes , yes, she wouldn’t do that, it had to be a mistake, I’m sure.” Ms. Bustier droned and let out an aggrieved sigh that Mr. Henderson noted with a frown.  The lack of empathy from a notably empathetic teacher was quite concerning. The fact that it was only in regards to one student, and the only student in her class that had been reporting bullying for years was even more alarming. Mr. Henderson raised a brow at Ms. Sue and she nodded as she made further notes. 

“Well, you have a point there too, but if she had cheated, our little VP wouldn’t have left any evidence. Especially not a day or two later. She’d have gotten rid of any evidence, and made sure there were no witnesses. She’s very thorough and meticulous, you know. I don’t even have to clean up after any of her events, she’s so good. S he makes sure everyone cleans up after themselves.” Mr. Lumiere expounded proudly. 

Everyone in the room besides Marinette gaped at him. He was proudly announcing she wouldn’t have gotten caught cheating, but not that she wouldn’t cheat? Marinette flushed happily from the praise. Mr. Lumiere always made her feel like she’d a ccomplished something incredible when he talked about her. 

Adrien’s attention was drawn back to Marinette when she started wiggling happily in her se at, and he felt a flush cover his face as their bodies  rubbed  together a bit. Adrien quickly sat up, finally letting go of Marinette, and the movement jolted the rest of the room into continuing the conversation. 

“Well, yes.” Mr. Henderson blustered. “There is certainly some doubt as to the authenticity of that claim. If that was the cheating, was that also the stealing?” Ms. Bustier frowned, trying to remember from two years ago.

“Actually, I believe she was accused of stealing Lila’s necklace. It was an heirloom, you know. We found it in her locker.” Mr. Henderson thoughtfully stroked his chin. If this all occurred in the same day, statistically it just wasn’t likely that one student had done all of that.

“And her locker was locked until you got to it? She opened it and it was sitting hidden inside somewhere?” Mr. Henderson was beginning to get a much better picture of what had been going on before Ms. Dupain-Cheng had arrived to his school, and he didn’t like what the image was turning into. 

“Well, I remember being surprised her locker wasn’t locked. She opened it and the necklace fell right out. I don’t even think she had a lock on it, but I’m not sure about that.” The adults turned to Marinette. 

“The locker never properly locked, so I never kept anything important in it, as I lived right across the street. As Ms. Bustier said, the necklace fell right out, despite my locker being mostly empty.” Marinette looked at the faces around her, waiting to see if anyone caught the oddity. Ms. Bustier remained clueless, but the other three adults began to look more and more upset.

“So to be certain: The necklace was not hidden under anything, and it fell out of your locker as soon as it opened? Did you visit your locker every day?” Marinette’s face shone in relief. These adults could still think! Ms. Bustier frowned, aware she was missing something, but not sure what.

“I only ever used my locker on days we had projects due , or for private female times . Since it was the testing period, I hadn’t used my locker in a few days. Just to be clear, I didn’t cheat and I didn’t steal anything.” Marinette’s voice was confident and clear. Ms. Bustier frowned, visibly unconvinced, but the other three adults nodded. The whole situation sounded like a set up, and not a very convincing one. 

“Well, getting back on track, this was all at college, which is outside of my jurisdiction.” He glanced at Ms. Sue, and she nodded. “It sounds like someone tried to frame you, and since the expulsion was revoked, we’ll label this as relevant backstory. Shall we move up to lycee, then? Ms. Bustier, you were brought here for harassing your student and disputing with him regarding a possible stalker situation. Is it related to Ms. Dupain-Cheng?”

Alya and Nino jolted, surprised at learning Adrien and Ms. Bustier had been arguing enough to be brought here. Marinette frowned, looking at Adrien. He glanced down, embarrassed at the attention.  Marinette squeezed his hand, and he glanced at her. They shared a reassuring smile and faced the adults again.  Ms. Bustier sighed, then glanced at the four students huddled protectively close around Adrien.

“Well, I can’t say it doesn’t involve her. Li-Ms. Rossi had reported to me months ago that she and Adrien had begun dating, but that Ms. Dupain -Cheng had been interfering. She said  it was making her feel very stressed and scared at school.” Adrien squawked in outrage, startling Marinette, and interrupting Ms. Bustier. 

“I would NEVER!” Adrien and Marinette shouted together. They paused, glanced at each other,  and then turned back. “That lying bi-!” Once again they pau sed, glanced at each other, before they began making shoving motions at each other. Marinette rolled her eyes, then started a game of ‘rock-paper-scissors’ with Adrien to see who got to shout first. Marinette won.

“I would NEVER interfere with a dating couple! If Adrien chose to date her, I would have supported him after making sure he wasn’t drugged into it!” Alya guffawed before covering her mouth. “That lying brat has been trying to get as close as she can to Adrien, but he’s never said they were dating!” Nino and Alya’s faces went thoughtful. 

Marinette nodded at Adrien. “I would NEVER date her! She threw an image of me off the Eiffel tower! She follows me everywhere! She upsets my friends, and cozies up to my father and won’t stop touching me! She had my number for a while and sent so many texts I had to block her!” Adrien looked like he could have continued for a while, but Marinette set a hand on his leg, and he clammed  up, flushing.

Ms. Bustier was frowning. “That can’t be true. It’s been months. She’s been updating everyone on all your dates and outings, and how about half of them end with Marinette interfering and taking you away. If you weren’t dating, why have you sat together for the last three years?” Mr. Henderson was staring with his mouth open at Ms. Bustier. Ms. Sue was taking notes as fast as she could, and Mr. Lumiere was avidly leaning forward, eager to tell Fifi later. 

“I’ve never dated her! I wouldn’t! She’s a terrible person! She lies all the time, and she makes my fans upset, and I don’t like her at all!” Adrien blathered. “She always takes the seat next to me, and Nino wants to sit with Alya, and if Marinette sits with me, everyone treats her really badly, so I stopped asking her to help me with Lila few months ago.”

“Uh, dude? My bad, she told me you two were dating.” Nino scratched his neck nervously. “She said you were too shy to say it yourself, and asked me to sit with Al ya so you two could have time  together  during class.” Adrien turned to stare at Nino, horrified.

“You couldn’t have asked me??” Adrien’s voice was high, filled with disappointment and betrayal. “That’s why you stopped sitting with me? I thought you didn’t like me as much as Alya, and Lila said you just couldn’t stay away from Alya. I knew better than to believe her, but you’ve hardly talked to me in months!! When did she say we started dating?” Alya and Nino shared a look. 

“Well, she told me you were dating on the down low early last year.” Alya shrieked a “WHAT?!” interrupting Nino. Nino blinked at Alya. Alya stared back, Marinette and Adrien also staring. “What? She said it was on a need to know basis. She said she just didn’t feel right leaving me out, so she told me, but not to talk about it with anyone else. Why? When did she tell you?”

“A few months ago! Same as Ms. Bustier! Right around when school came back into session!” Alya looked completely gob smacked. “I realized today she’s been lying, but, everything? Everything was a lie?” 

Mr. Henderson tapped his desk with the complaint files Ms. Sue had given him earlier. They were thick enough to get everyone’s attention.  “So to be clear, Ms. Rossi isolated Mr. Agreste from his best friend, and steadily convinced everyone around them that the two were dating, to the point that Ms. Dupain-Cheng faced backlash any time she interfered?” Ms. Bustier winced but nodded along with Alya, Nino, Adrien, and Marinette. “Then she not only followed Mr. Agreste around during school, but has also been steadily harassing Ms. Dupain-Cheng in ways that she couldn’t prove. Until now.” Mr. Henderson tapped Alya’s phone meaningfully. Ms. Bustier frowned once more. 

“What harassment has Marinette been filing? She hasn’t said anything to me in years.”  Mr. Henderson gave her a sardonic look. 

“Well, if you got her expelled without following  due process, I can see why she wouldn’t have gone to you.”

OMAKE:

‘Ooooh buuurn!’ Mr. Lumiere sent. He’d been sending text updates to his girlfriend of 12 years all morning. She would never have let him miss their daily lunch date otherwise.

‘?’

‘Mr. H just told MB that she wasn’t trustworthy!’

‘Well, she’s not, is she?’

‘True’

‘Any idea when you’ll come see me?’

‘None. This is better than a drama, I swear.’

‘Well of course. It’s your favorite student, and her bully is about to get caught. Anyone would celebrate.’

‘She’s not my favorite! She’s just the best!’

‘Hmmmm. You have me there, dear. Hurry along, I’ve got your soup and salad waiting.’ 

‘<3’

‘<3’


	11. Mr. Henderson’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally see the light, and Ms. Bustier sees what she’s done.
> 
> Alternatively, Marinette and Adrien escape a lecture. No one else does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second release today! If you feel lost, check the previous chapter!
> 
> Today’s prompt (among others) was from God of Wolves. If it was a wordy, crazy prompt, it was prolly his.
> 
> The ball is finally rolling down hill my friendly readers! I hope you enjoy!

Facing Darkness 11 : Prompt- “Damn it, now is not the time for a sponsorship deal! Run for your life, suck up to Diet Coke later!”

At the muffled gasps, Mr. Henderson cleared his throat. 

“To be brief, Ms. Dupain-Cheng has reported everything from theft to defamation of character, to physical harm, and even forgery attempts. So far, we’ve had nothing besides Ms. Dupain-Cheng’s word that the other party was Ms. Rossi, so we’ve been keeping an eye out. There was nothing we could do with a ‘she said-he said’ situation, as both parties are seen as innocent until proven guilty. Mr. Lumiere in fact has been shadowing the two girls,” Mr. Henderson frowned at Mr. Lumiere, who sheepishly grinned but remained unrepentant. “Perhaps more than he really should have been, in an attempt to give testimony that Ms. Rossi was the perpetrator.”

Ms. Bustier gaped. “Theft?” Mr. Henderson willingly flipped through the pages to find the relevant complaints , separating out 6 separate sheets . Alya and Nino looked at Marinette, apologies clear in their eyes. Marinette shook her head silently, unwilling to address their feelings right now.  “What’s been stolen? I haven’t heard anything!” No one was mean enough to point out yet again that was her own fault.

“Looks like three projects of Ms. Dupain-Cheng went missing without a trace. She couldn’t prove Ms. Rossi had taken them, but she did take pictures of the projects before they disappeared, so the relevant teachers gave her either half credit, or as much credit as they could with photos as the evidence. She appears to have lost projects for her personal business, and wasn’t able to prove anyone culpable. She didn’t have photos of those projects, but the description was clear enough that likelihood of her lying was negligible, so we made reports, though it wasn’ t related to school specifically, besides them disappearing here. ” Each word out of Mr. Henderson’s mouth made Ms. Bustier feel sicker. “There was one report of her phone being stolen, but it turned up again at the end of the day, with some ‘clear tampering’ per Ms. Dupain-Cheng. She reported her friends’ numbers were scrambled, some replaced entirely and others misnamed.”

Mr. Henderson looked ready to continue reading, but Ms. Bustier interrupted. “How did you catch that?” Ms. Bustier looked over at Marinette, who looked grimly satisfied at the thorough reports. Marinette glanced at Ms. Bustier before looking back at the reports.

“I keep a journal in my diary lock box with everyone’s  current phone numbers. Before I sent anything out, I checked the numbers against my records. Adrien’s number was Lila’s, and Alya’s was Adrien’s. Nino’s was a stranger, as was most of the class. She replaced one or two random digits of  almost  everyone, and completely erased half of my business contacts.” Almost everyone  paled, realizing how badly that could have affected Marinette’s business. Then considering what she would have sent to a best friend, going to a guy friend instead? She could have accidentally ruined herself.

“What made you check the numbers?” Ms. Sue asked. It sounded like she was merely curious, but the glint in her eye belied her anger. Marinette’s cheeks flushed a bit, but her chin tilted up. She refused to be cowed.

“Lila sent a message, posing as Adrien. She wrote and I quote,” Marinette pulled out her phone and went through the gallery. “’Why do you have to keep bothering me with food in the morning ? You know I’m a model.’” Adrien gasped in pure outrage. 

“How dare she! I adore your treats!” Adrien stared deeply into Marinette’s eyes. “I really, really love them.” Marinette let out a giggle , pushing him back thoughtlessly . Alya made kissy faces at Nino, while Nino despairingly grabbed at the air. They couldn’t believe the obliviousness of their friend. 

“I know. That’s how I knew it wasn’t you. And that’s why I checked my entire phone.” The adults all nodded in unison. The Dupain-Cheng bakery was a legend for good reason. No one in their right mind would complain about free treats from there.  Ms. Rossi was looking more insane with every puzzle piece they found.

“ Would you like me to continue, Ms. Bustier? ” Mr. Henderson waited solicitously to see if she wanted more examples. She shook her head negatively before biting her lip and reconsidering.

“Did you say physical? Marinette’s been harmed? In person?” Ms. Bustier looked unsure if she wanted to hear the answer, but Mr. Henderson simply nodded and went to look through the reports. Alya jolted, remembering what nearly got her akumatized before.

“Oh! Oh!” She hopped up and grabbed Marinette, ripping her out of Adrien’s grip. Adrien let out a small whine, unwilling to let go of his favorite place. His friend. Just his really good friend. He curled his hands together, imagining it was Marinette’s warmth. Catching his thoughts, he flushed and shoved his hands under his thighs instead.  Nino watched his best friend, despair clear in his eyes. He covered his face with his hat and groaned.

Alya dragged Marinette to Ms. Sue. “We need another report! Marinette is bruised! That liar bruised her today!” Ms. Sue blinked, unsure if another report was necessary, or if it should be added to the video evidence. Alya, mistaking her indecision as disbelief, in a fit of pique pulled Marinette’s shirt down again.

“Alya! Stop trying to strip me!” Marinette struggled to get her shirt back without ripping it. When your side-gig was being a superhero, it made controlling your strength much more important than it ever used to be. Ms. Sue blinked at the bruise that was rapidly purpling in the center of Ms. Dupain-Cheng’s milky, freckled chest. 

“How hard was she poking you?” Ms. Sue’s indignant exclamation had Ms. Bustier scrambling to see the damage. The gentlemen all discreetly found something else to concentrate on as the ladies shouted and exclaimed over the smaller young lady’s chest. Marinette gave up on covering her chest again, and stared directly at Alya, waiting for common decency to emerge.

Ms. Sue took several photos of Marinette’s chest with her tablet, then barked at Mr. Henderson. “Send that video to the school administration, stat. With both, we have enough evidence to proceed.” Mr. Henderson fumbled with the phone trying to pick it up, turned it on, and then realized he needed a passcode.

“Ms. Cesaire, if you would?” Alya was finally distracted from Marinette. She released her hostage and quickly walked over to press her finger against the reader. The phone unlocked and the principal began the process of emailing the video. Alya turned back to see Marinette swiftly resettling her shirt across her shoulders properly and hiding the mark. Ms. Bustier was mumbling to herself, pale and sweaty. 

“Alright, sent.” Mr. Henderson triumphantly handed Alya’s phone back to her, then gathered the papers he’d been perusing. “So if we just add Mr. Agreste’s complaint, we’ll have everything we need to finally settle this in the way we’ve been hoping for.”

Adrien leaned forward, utterly lost at how quickly the staff had begun to move. “What’s happening? What complaint?” Ms. Sue quickly returned from her office, having rushed to gather the evidence folder. As she pulled out all the previous complaints Marinette had filed and handed them off to a smug Mr. Henderson, she quickly flipped to a new page and wrote the day’s date. 

“Mr. Agreste, would you like to file a notice of complaint against Lila Rossi for stalking, trespassing, and attempting to isolate you?” Ms. Sue waited quietly while Marinette nodded her head so emphatically she looked like a rock concert head banger. Adrien decided  to trust in Marinette, just as he should have all this time ago.

“Yes?” Adrien answered timidly. Ms. Sue’s grin looked all too predatory. She quickly filled in Adrien’s name, before walking through all the questions with him. While Nino watched over the process, fascinated at how thorough Ms. Sue was, Alya was questioning the Principal.

“So what does this mean exactly? You’ve been waiting for a video?” Mr. Henderson stroked his chin once more, contemplating the most neutral answer he could give. Decision made, he leaned forward confidentially, and the remaining four drew forward  to hear.

“While we have utmost confidence in all of our students, we do require any process of expulsion or disciplinary hearings to have as much testimonial and evidence possible behind any accusations before we proceed.” He glanced judgmentally towards Ms. Bustier. “We’ve been gathering evidence for over a year now because when we make a decision, we as an institution have to stand behind it.  Ms. Rossi’s mother is a diplomat, which can complicate things, but with enough evidence, we can decide that Ms. Rossi just doesn’t meet our school’s requirements. We will ask her mother to quietly enroll her elsewhere, and if she argues, we will be happy to proceed with a public disciplinary hearing.”

Mr. Henderson didn’t say that no sane diplomat would risk their livelihood over a child’s inability to behave at school. He also didn’t add that he would be sending a copy of each report with names and dates stripped away to Mrs. Rossi, to be sure she was aware of the severity of the charges. Even if the charges were false, there were well over 50 reports, and if he happened to mention in his email that they also had audio and video evidence, she would likely disappear as quickly as possible. 

Marinette looked relieved that Lila wa s finally going to be dealt with.  The process of gathering all the evidence had taken far longer than she’d expected, but she was so relieved her friends finally came through. T hey were the whole reason this nightmare would finally be over. As she began to actually feel like everything would turn out well, they heard screaming. 

Alya was already looking through the Ladyblog. “There’s an Akuma at the Eiffel Tower. Is that thing an akuma magnet? They all seem to go there. Damnit Aurore! This isn’t the time to fish for a sponsorship deal!!” Alya ranting at her phone was oddly normal. Mr. Henderson pressed the akuma alert button as she continued talking to her phone. “Run for your life!! Suck up to Diet Coke later, you hussy!”

Marinette blinked, looking over Alya’s shoulder. Aurore was recording herself drinking Diet Coke as she strolled away from the akuma, far in the background.  “Huh. Gotta give her credit- that takes a lot of  poise . She might  just  get that sponsorship deal." Marinette looked around, realizing she needed to go. “Um, I need to go let my mama know I’m okay! I’ll be back later!” Marinette took off, not waiting for the permission she knew wouldn’t come.

Adrien had finished his report right as the akuma alarm started going off. He looked around wildly, and stood up. “Sorry! Father requires me at home whenever there’s an akuma! I have to go! I’ll be back later, bye!” He rushed out, right in front of Marinette.

Alya glanced around. “Uh, Akuma attack! Gotta earn my blog’s keep!” As Alya tried to escape, Ms. Henderson finally got to the office door. He blocked anyone else from leaving, panting from the sudden sprint. He hadn’t been able to stop Ms. Dupain-Cheng, or Mr. Agreste, but he wouldn’t be exposing any other students to danger if he could help it!

“Oh no you don’t! We ’re all going to have a seat right here and wait to know when the coast is clear! You, young lady need to stay out of the way of the heroes of Paris! They work hard,  and  for free no less! You shouldn’t be making their jobs harder by endangering yourself.” As Mr. Henderson continued his lecture, the rest of the room sighed. Alya needed to hear this, but no one else wanted to. It was gonna be a long battle. 

OMAKE:

“Ladybug! How are you today, my lady?” Chat landed next to his coworker, panting from the running it taken to get here from school. Ladybug gave him a grin, absently rubbing her shoulder with the other hand.  She really rushed to get here, and it paid off. She’d beaten her partner at least.

“Hey Chat. Today’s been a surprisingly great day. You?” She unleashed a happier grin than she’d sported in  months . Chat grimaced, ignoring the Akuma for a minute to catch up. It’d been a few days since any akuma had attacked, and he missed his lady. He wondered if she would have advice for him, but decided it’d be too personal to explain.

“Today I learned that I royally fucked up years ago, and it’s come back to bite me.” Ladybug stared at him, then the neon colored akuma. The androgynous akuma was wearing a giant shoe as an outfit. With a strange neon-colored rainbow flowing out of its behind like a visible fart, she could hardly stand to look at it. 

“If you’re telling me this akuma is your fault, Chat I swear to the Great Creator!” As Ladybug threatened her partner, Chat laughed nervously as he leaned away. He waved his arms around in denial. He loved his lady, but she was a terrifying force of nature. She also took the designs of the akuma far more seriously than anyone else he knew besides Marinette. 

Marinette often completely redesigned the akuma while muttering about them being crimes against nature. If it was someone she knew, they’d often get a little letter with the new design and an ‘I’m sorry Hawkmoth turned you into a horrid crime against nature’ card. Thinking about her redesign of The Bubbler,  and the hilarious card she’d included, he couldn’t help laughing as he protested.

“Not me! This isn’t mine! I promise!” Ladybug glared at him dubiously. “Really! Not me! I have no idea what’s up with this one!” Ladybug leaned back, and her glare lessened to a frown. Chat breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Alright then. We’ve got work to do, Chat. Let’s go!” So saying, the heroes bounded off to defeat the latest victim.


	12. Moving past the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the world keeps turning and changes start slowly.
> 
> Alternatively, Adrien is entranced and he’s not ashamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to felicitylanding! She provided the prompt.
> 
> I kinda cheated with the prompt. On a better note, I’ve already started the next chapter, because I’ve been waiting to write that since chapter 2. Happy Reading!

Facing Darkness 12: “How the mighty have fallen!” “It’s a dropped chocolate bar. Stop being dramatic.”

Things moved quickly when Marinette and Adrien returned from their ‘homes’ after the akuma attack. Alya and Nino met them at the front of the school. Alya was bouncing  in place  with adrenaline, cursing her inability to escape the Principal’s office as well as his long-winded speech on being responsible and respectful of her heroes’ time. Nino was sitting lifelessly on the steps leading inside.

“Alya? Nino? Why are you out here? Don’t we have class?” Marinette asked suspiciously. Adrien, quietly mooning over her a few steps behind, glanced at his friends disinterestedly before avidly watching his very good friend walk forward. He sighed dreamily, thanking the Great Cat God for Marinette’s skill and commitment to wearing clothes that fit ‘properly’. 

“Actually, we have a study period!” Alya burst out. “Mr. Henderson called Ms. Bustier and Lila to the front office, so the rest of the day has been declared a study period so we can,” Alya used finger quotes. “’Work on our projects.’” Nino groaned louder and let his head sink between his arms. Adrien was distracted from  committing the view of his good friend to memory.

“What project?” Marinette could hear the frown in Adrien ’s voice. She frowned as well , unawar e of a project. Alya hopped up and spun Marinette around. The glee in her movements was enough to make Marinette smile from association, and Adrien  grinned at the girls  being friendly  once more . 

“We’re doing a project on whatever social situation we feel is most important! We can pick our own topics, and pair with anyone we want! Got any ideas on who you wanna partner with, Marinette?” Alya fluttered her eyelashes coyly. She was eager to get back to knowing everything about Marinette and a project on social justice would be a prime opportunity! Normally Alya would push Marinette and Adrien to work together, but now she wasn’t certain if that would be welcome. 

Marinette smirked and leaned towards Alya contemplatively. Nino and Adrien looked on, both feeling somewhat defeated but still enjoying the sight of the girls frolicking.  Marinette and Alya were both awesome project partners, despite their constant disappearances during akuma attacks. 

Marinette was a hard worker willing to do what it took to get the best grade, even if her sleep suffered. Alya was an excellent researcher when she put her mind to it. Both boys sighed, realizing the easy group projects might not be so easy anymore.  “I don’t know, Alya. Hey Nino, got a partner?” Alya gaped. Adrien gaped. 

Nino gulped and squeaked “Me?!” Marinette laughed and gently closed Alya’s mouth by tapping her chin.  As Alya regained her composure and Adrien fought to keep his face from scowling, Marinette grinned cheekily. It felt almost like she was starting out on a new leaf with her friends. It would take work, but maybe they’d escape from this with a stronger bond than before. 

“Well actually, I think it’d be better to divide projects based on what everyone wants to focus on. Let’s get to class and see if we can divvy up projects.” Marinette’s voice quivered with mirth as Nino flushed in mingled disappointment and relief. Alya looked as though her thoughts weren’t processing any longer, and Marinette chanced a glance behind her at Adrien. Adrien was pouting like an Ecole student until he noticed her glance. Then he straightened and gave her a model smile.

Marinette  sighed and led the way back to the classroom. Inside,  without a teacher to keep the peace,  the students were engaged in various arguments and debates. The noise blended into an ear-splitting cacophony once she opened the door. Marinette stared blankly for a moment before she groaned and walked to the front desk. Adrien, Alya and Nino trailed in behind her and stood by the door, unsure what she was planning. 

*KABLAM*

All sound stopped. Heads swung to the front as quickly as the owners could manage. The students gawked at her for a moment before Max gathered his wits. “What was that for, Marinette?” Marinette looked back, completely unimpressed with his  question. If he thought about it, he should be the first to realize why she did it. She hefted the heavy English book once more, as though considering dropping it again. 

Rose and Juleka’s hands went to cover each other’s ears instinctively. Mylene flinched and Ivan frowned. “I did it because everyone was arguing. Is this about the social project?” Various classmates answered with a guilty ‘Yeah’ as they glanced around. They hadn’t realized they’d been so  loud, but after all, this project was supposed to reflect what they were passionate about.

“Right, well I have an idea then. Everyone write what project you want to do on a scrap of paper, and then stick it in Nino’s hat.” Nino clutched his hat protectively. Marinette gave him an unimpressed look. “You can hold your hat the whole time, Nino. Just make sure you add what project you want.” Everyone began murmuring, unsure why Marinette wanted their ideas.

“It doesn’t make sense to commit to a project just to be with someone you like. If you’re passionate about a subject, man up and admit it. We’ll pair up, group up, or work solo depending on what everyone wants to focus on. Got it?” Marinette was almost disappointed when no one argued with her.  They all set about finding paper, some sharing sheets,  ripping it up and passing it along as they finished writing their project subject. 

Once Nino had written his project title, he whimpered and clutched his hat to his head for a moment, as though it were about to sacrifice its life. Marinette rolled her eyes  before waving her hand in a ‘hurry it up’ fashion. Nino pouted as he took off his hat and walked around the classroom gathering everyone’s project ideas.

When Nino had them all, Marinette gestured for him to come back to her, and  she  wrote all the ideas on the board. She combined similar ideas with the caveat that they could have different focuses but share research when they had parallel interests. In the end, some had solitary projects and were okay working alone, like Nathaniel and Kim. Some interests were broad and popular, like the necessity of charity work, making a large group that looked shyly at each other. Then there were the awkward groups. Marinette eyed Chloe with distrust, nearly unable to believe she’d chosen ‘bullying’ as her topic as well. 

Adrien looked like a kicked kitten, staring forlornly after Marinette while Sabrina nervously chattered to Alya about her ideas on ‘Improving Public Morale’. Juleka and Nino smiled awkwardly at each other, unsure where to start without one of their soft-spoken friends to help them start. They  were rethinking how they’d both felt that ‘Positive Public Attention’ was their most passionate choice when faced with a partner they couldn’t recall having ever spoken to. 

“Alright then! When is this project due, and what are the requirements?” Marinette realized she didn’t have all the information and wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Chloe huffed impatiently, standing at the front next to Marinette.  Chloe tapped her foot and clicked her nails against her arm, irritated at having to deal with a strange AU Marinette. 

“Everyone already knows it’s a 20 minute presentation with two documented research articles to support your idea. We have a month while Ms. Bustier is ‘on sabbatical’ for whatever she’s doing. We can research during any class time that was assigned to Ms. Bustier, and we have the rest of the day today to get started. ” Chloe  rolled her eyes. She was surprisingly clear and concise with the information and Marinette nodded at her appreciatively. Looking around and seeing everyone nodding in agreement, she smiled. 

“Great! Then let’s all get to work! Chloe,” Marinette winked playfully. “Your place or mine?” Chloe flushed prettily and Adrien began to look desperate. That could have been him if he’d just thought to say he wanted to address ‘bullying’! He pulled his hair in frustration until Alya smacked his arm to make him stop. 

“Obviously my place is better! It’s much bigger and we can have whatever we want!” Chloe rolled her eyes and tried to play off her discomposure. She would never admit it, but a suggestive Marinette made her incredibly nervous. Marinette grinned, seeing a perfect opportunity.

“We can have ‘whatever’ we want?” Marinette wiggled her eyebrows and placed a suggestive emphasis on ‘whatever’. It was surprisingly fun to flirt when there were no feelings attached. Chloe turned as red as Ladybug’s suit and sputtered inelegantly.

“Ye-No!-Ye-May b ?-Wait! That’s not what I! But maybe- No- I!” Marinette released a carefree, happy laugh. It silenced most of the class, but intent on hustling Chloe out of the room so they could start their project, Marinette didn’t notice. Chloe let herself be herded, completely discombobulated with that sweet laugh echoing in her ears.

“Alright, Chloe. We can figure it out together, yes?” Marinette’s warm voice wafted back into the classroom. Adrien couldn’t take it anymore, and with a thoughtless excuse to his group mates “I gotta catch a pokemon! Just a mewnite !” he ran after the two girls. “Marinette, wait!”

The class broke into gossip. 

OMAKE:

“Did he just call Marinette a pokemon?”

“D’you think Marinette levelled up or something?”

“ Marinette’s hooooot.”

“Dude, when’s the last time we heard her laugh like that? And because of Chloe? I just can’t believe it!”

“Oh my god, I HAVE to get video of this! It’s gonna be historic!”

“Alya, no!”

Three voices: “Alya, YES!”

“Shut the door!”

“Block her in!”

“Did Adrien just pun? Or did he call her a Mew?”

“Is he gonna ask her out?”

“My, how the mighty have fallen.”

“Where do you think they’ll go on their first date?”

“Dude, it’s just a chocolate bar.”

“It’s a DROPPED chocolate bar. It’s horrifying!”

“Stop being so dramatic.”

“Oh, like Adrien over there  doesn’t have us all beat at that. ”

“Did you see him staring at her?”

“Oh, I hope I get to be a bridesmaid at their wedding!”


	13. Chloe’s Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien shoots his shot, and results are conclusive.
> 
> Alternatively, anyone attracted to Marinette gets wrecked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s one more chapter, but yes, this has been planned from the start. If I didn’t make anything clear, let me know so I can make edits. 
> 
> Special thanks to Felicitylanding for the prompt!
> 
> Thanks and happy reading!
> 
> Also, if anyone can guess where I got inspiration for the akuma from the previous chapter, I’ll dedicate the last chapter to you!

Facing Darkness 13: Prompt- “Should I ask why you have a knife in your purse?” “It’s a dagger, actually. And no, you shouldn’t.” 

“Marinette! Can I talk to  you for a minute?” Adrien rasped out, and Chloe frowned at him.  Adrien was nervously clutching at his  white shirt and biting his lip. Marinette looked at him for a minute before shrugging in acquiescence. As she gestured Chloe to go ahead, she turned back to him. Chloe gave him a scrutinizing look that he returned two-fold with a side of suspicion, before she huffed and flounced off. 

“I’ll wait for you in front of the school, Dupain-Cheng. Don’t take too long or I’ll change my mind!” Marinette waved her off without either girl looking at each other. They knew they needed to work together, so it wasn’t like Chloe would actually leave her. 

“So, Adrien. What’s up?” Adrien flushed, realizing  he’d actually have to talk to her. Considering what he’d heard this morning,  if he really did like Marinette, it was  definitely  his turn to chase her. Adrien straightened, confident that he could at least ask her on a date. Then they could see if they could develop mutual feelings. 

“Ma-Marinette, I was wondering,” Adrien played with the hairs on his neck nervously, wracking his brain for any ideas of a romantic date that weren’t candlelit dinners on the Eiffel tower.  Would 50 roses be too much for the first date?  “Would you like to go get ice cream with me sometime? Maybe we can chase down Andre like we all planned years ago? I really regret not getting to go with you.” He looked up hopefully.

Marinette watched his nervous ticks and felt a bit of apprehension. “Do you mean with all our friends? Like a group outing?” Marinette tested the waters, trying to see the trap. Adrien blinked and his face flickered  briefly. He could back out now. He could wait and see if his feelings would develop past this fascination he’d discovered today. He could bide his time and maybe make her fall back in love with him.

“No, I meant, like,” Adrien’s eyes flicked up to hers before looking at the floor. He had a feeling this wouldn’t go as well as he’d hoped it would. Marinette was worth admitting his feelings to. She had done far more for him, with far smaller rewards. He could at least even the playing field and let her know he was interested. It was only fair after hearing she’d chased him for years without his noticing. “I meant like a date? To see if we might, uh, make a good couple?” He winced, wishing he’d been as smooth as Marinette had been all day. 

Marinette also winced, and silently apologized to Alya as well as her past self. If time travel were allowed, she was sure she’d get murdered by Past!Marinette. “Actually, Adrien. I’m really sorry, but I’ve decided I just don’t have the time or inclination to date  anyone  right now. I think it’s a bad idea for the… well, for the foreseeable future.” Adrien drooped, and Marinette scrambled to explain.  Adrien felt a little relief, but a surprisingly  large and  heavy disappointment blanketed him.

“It’s not you! You’re gorgeous! I’d be lucky to date you! I just, I don’t think I should be dating anyone right now! I have to keep my head in the game, and my eye on the prize right now, and I can’t,” Marinette tried to find a way to put it that didn’t sound awful.  Her face was growing red and she couldn’t even find it in her to be embarrassed at her words. He deserved to know it wasn’t him that had changed.

“You can’t afford distractions?” Adrien gave a half-hearted smile as he finally looked up at her. “ You wanna concentrate on designing while you’re looking at and applying to universities, right?” Marinette nodded frantically, glad he’d provided the perfect excuse. “So if you change your mind, you’ll let me know? Cause I think you’re amazing, and I don’t know if I love you like that,” He grimaced, not sure he should have admitted that. “But I’d be really interested in at least trying to. You know, trying to, ” His voice got softer. “Fall in love with you.” Adrien’s cheeks blazed with color, but Marinette was always so kind. He owed her honesty, and if she ever turned his way, he wanted her to know he liked her.

“Yeah,” Marinette sighed. “If I change my mind, I’ll definitely let you know. Thanks Adrien. We’re still friends, right?” Marinette looked at him hopefully, just a little scared he wouldn’t want to be friends with someone that just turned him down.

Adrien smiled at her. “Yeah, definitely. I’ll see you later?” Without permission, his smile widened into a grin as his reassurance seemed to perk Marinette back up.

Marinette winked. “Of course, hot stuff!” As Adrien broke into a raging blush, Marinette stammered. “Oh god! I’m sorry! I’m not making fun of you! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, I swear I’ll stop, I just-” Adrien laughed and waved his hands.

“It’s cool Marinette. I don’t mind.” He grinned shyly. “Honestly, it’s what made me ask you out in the first place. You’re awesome. Don’t change on my account.” He ran a hand through his hair and dug the other into his pocket, unconsciously posing for her. “And really, I think you’re so smooth, I’d love to listen to you talk for as long as you’d let me.” He gaped for a minute, disbelieving his own stupid words. 

“I mean! Because you’re so smart and kind and I didn’t mean to make a pick up line!” As Adrien tried to cover up his mistake, Marinette burst out laughing. The two of them were ridiculous, smoothly delivering lines and then freaking out over it. As Adrien covered his face and prayed to the Great Cat God for death, Marinette calmed down. She gently pulled his hands down and Adrien’s large green kitten eyes stared down at her dolefully. 

“How about this? I like flirting. I think  it’s fun. If you want to flirt with me, I don’t mind. I just don’t want to lead you on. Promise not to take my lines seriously, and I won’t take yours seriously either, okay?” Marinette smiled up at him and Adrien just stared back, stunned by her gorgeous blue eyes sparkling at him. Marinette’s smile faltered as Adrien remained silent. “Adrien?”

“Uh. Guh! Yeah! Of course! Yes! What were you?” Adrien scrambled to bring the smile back. What had she suggested? Friends flirting? Well, he’d been doing that with Ladybug for years with no sign of it ever changing their relationship. Surely it wouldn’t do anything to hurt the relationship between him and Marinette. He winked and finger-gunned at her. “I gotchu, Pikachu.” 

Marinette stared, completely done with this dork. If all the drama with Lila hadn’t more than killed her crush, the finger gun and pokemon reference would have. This boy was worse than Chat Noir. “ Alright then, Geek-achu.” As Adrien gaped at her, she covered her mouth and sighed. “I shoulda kept my big meowth shut.”

“Oh god, you’re  acatually  purrrrrfect. Mari me?” Adrien gazed at her with the sappiest, goofiest grin, and Marinette groaned at the puns. She’d started a war she wasn’t sure she’d win. Adrien would never  tell her he  had been serious in that moment. Years later, he’d admit it to his children when they asked about the first time he proposed to someone, but until then, it would be his secret.

Marinette realized she was still holding his hands, and with a flustered cough, she let go and stepped away. “Anyway, I have a project. You should go blind your group.” Adrien looked confused and Marinette smiled innocently.

“With your pretty face and intelligence, silly!” She laughed as the blush that had finally started to die down flared right back across his face. Adrien glared at her, slightly mortified. 

“You realize this means war, don’t you?” Adrien challenged. 

“Bring it, model man .” Marinette replied.

As Marinette rejoined Chloe outside, she saw Chloe quickly stashing a knife into her purse. Marinette’s face paled, and she stared at Chloe. 

“Should I ask why you have a knife in your purse?” Chloe pursed her lips and stared daggers back the way Marinette had come. Adrien was out of sight, but not out of mind. 

“It’s a dagger, actually. And no, you shouldn’t.” Chloe announced.  He father had been nervous about letting her have it, but she’d sworn she would only use it in self-defense.  Marinette decided she didn’t care enough to  open that can of worms, and started talking about their project. Chloe muttered to herself. “It’s to cut a bitch. Encroaching on my territory like that!!”  Protecting her love life was self defense, wasn’t it?

**********

The changes came quickly in class. First Ms. Bustier went on a sabbatical, and their substitute was content to simply help them with  directing and  researching their projects. Lila disappeared without a word to anyone, and while a few students in Ms. Bustier’s class asked around, no one was saying what happened. 

Behind the scenes, Ms. Bustier was busting her ass to get properly trained in conflict management, anti-bullying tactics, guiding productive arguments, and applying real life situations to learning opportunities among other things. Teachers quietly passed money around, and  made new bets as to whether she’d be able to return, and when. Mr. Lumiere steadily collected money from the teachers when each teacher was privately pulled into the Principal’s office to learn how to fend off the butterflies.

Lila and her mother quietly returned to Italy when the Mayor, on recommendation from his daughter and Ladybug brought attention to how many times Lila had been akumatized. The combination of Lila being asked to leave her school, seeing her abrasive words via video, hearing of her stalking a local celebrity and even harassing him? There was even a video of the celebrity listing out all the things her daughter had done to him! On top of those mortifying  trials, finding out the most highly regarded public figure (Ladybug) felt her daughter was a danger to the public? Madam Rossi was genuinely horrified at what Lila might think of next, especially when Lila showed no signs of remorse at her actions, only at being caught.

During Ms. Bustier’s retraining, some strange psychological tics were noticed and she was sent for psychological assessment. The findings were abnormal and created a furor in the mental health community. These findings also led to the school quietly pulling students from the Akuma class out during what was previously Ms. Bustier’s class period for testing as well. 

Not all students displayed the same level of abnormal behaviors, but everyone in the classroom was found to be in desperate need of counseling, and only Marinette showed no signs of the abnormal psychological tics. The source of the mental infection  was a mystery that most students never mentioned to anyone besides their best friends and families. The entire class began private therapy with psychologists vying to treat as many of them as possible for the research possibilities.  Marinette had strong suspicions as to the source of the class’s sudden awareness of when they were acting overbearing, overly naïve, or overly critical.

Marinette was relieved to get some of her own anxiety and catastrophizing addressed by a professional, and as a bonus, she could just blame Lila for her mental health taking a beating. Marinette’s therapist developed some strange habits themselves, often looking around wildly and attempting to plan for what the next session would look like. They were all too aware that no planning could ever effectively counteract Marinette’s insidious mind, however, and often felt on the edge of despair until they began seeing a colleague themselves.

Adrien’s therapist took to drinking heavily and asked for help from colleagues in gentle techniques to suit a fragile teenager. Adrien was just happy to have an adult he could trust to tell him what was ‘normal’ and what was ‘abuse’. He may have taken advantage of the opportunity to get a lesson on what ‘normal sex’ was, but no one would ever know. The therapist got blackout drunk and genuinely forgot, Plagg was too happy to not be the one to explain, and Adrien was too satisfied to risk having anyone interfere with this new fountain of information. Being able to ask adults questions was incredibly amazing, and he wished he could ask all adults  questions. 

Alya campaigned hard to get Marinette to let her post about how to fight against the akuma as civilians, but Marinette would not budge. She repeatedly reminded Alya that would paint a target on any civilians that utilized it, and if Hawkbutt learned who first taught everyone? There was no telling what he would do at being stymied. She advised Alya to only teach others one on one when you had already seen that person at least twice before and during an akuma attack, to prevent Hawkbutt from hearing about it.  Alya only let it go once Marinette sent Ladybug to her house, demanding she cease and desist loudly arguing about it in public.

Despite Alya’s disbelief, the advice quietly spread to every corner of Paris, and soon Hawkmoth was unable to find someone to akumatize without leaving his lair. He often found he had to distract the defenders from his would be victim. This left him at a distinct disadvantage, as he had to expose himself even before he created a champion, and allowed Ladybug and Chat Noir to find him several times. During these battles, despite  taunts from the Heroes, he refused to disclose why Mayura  never came out in person.

Using these events and working with the police force to track the butterflies, they eventually narrowed down the  source to a neighborhood and the police set up an undercover watch on every house. Chat Noir was instrumental in telling them about areas that the rich residents couldn’t see from their video cameras. Ladybug was instrumental in correcting the undercover cops’ clothing choices, advising them of high quality but affordable clothing that wouldn’t stand out in that area.

Many cops would continue to wear the clothes Ladybug suggested for them for years. She had excellent taste, and Chat had excellent choices in cafes and shops nearby to frequent. When they narrowed the search to Adrien’s neighborhood, Ladybug visited Adrien to quietly warn him. 

Ladybug told him there was no guarantee his house was involved, but to be cautious of everyone in the neighborhood and to call Marinette if he ever needed help. When Adrien looked confused, she explained that Marinette had a direct line to her but that Adrien could tell absolutely no one else. She was trusting Adrien with her own, as well as Marinette’s life, and he kept his promise to  say nothing and  warn no one. This did make Adrien study Marinette even harder, all the more charmed by her abilities if even a super hero trusted her.

Ladybug’s private warning to Adrien also allowed Chat to finally accept that Hawkmoth could be his father. Even if it was, Ladybug obviously cared for him in both forms and wouldn’t judge him for it. This reassurance made the eventual discovery far less painful than it could have been. Police captured three separate videos of a purple butterfly leaving the tallest window of the Agreste Mansion and a white butterfly returning before they finally caught Hawkmoth leaving the window as well. 

Working together with the heroes, they were able to move in and  secure both miraculous after Hawkmoth returned from that battle, weary and beaten. Gabriel Agreste had no idea the mansion had been under surveillance, and he was unprepared to fight a second time. Ladybug took charge of the miraculous while Chat Noir insisted on seeing Mr. Agreste into the police cruiser.  The Police also took all adults in the mansion to be interrogated. Ladybug and Chat Noir agreed to meet that night to debrief with the police.

And what a night it would turn out to be….

OMAKE 1:

“ADRIEN!” The class crowded around him, cheering. 

“Did you ask her out?” Rose asked eagerly. Adrien nodded, embarrassed. 

The whole group cheered. Oddly there was also cheering mixed with groans from the class next door. They must have had a very exciting day as well. 

“Where are you taking her on your first date?” Mylene asked eagerly. The girls would have so much fun helping Marinette get ready! Adrien blanched. 

“Uh….” Adrien paused awkwardly. The class went silent. 

“You don’t know where you’re taking her?” Sabrina asked hopefully. Surely the ship was sailing by now. Adrien winced and scratched his neck.

“Actually, she turned me down.” The deafening silence was interrupted by a hysterical scream next door. 

“I WON?! I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO WIN!! I WANT THE SHIP TO SAIL DAMNIT! TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK YOU BASTARD!”

Not realizing the scream was addressed to him, Adrien continued explaining. “She said she just has too much going on right now.”

The silence continued and he grew nervous enough to start babbling. 

“It’s totally okay though guys! Really! She said we could be friends and now she loves to flirt and have fun! So it’s fine! If she changes her mind, she’ll let me know. And hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Guys? ….guys?” Adrien stared around, shocked at the change in his classmates’ faces. They suddenly appeared haggard, as though they were war victims being told the enemy was upon them. 

Nino, brave soul that he is, spoke. “Marinette… wants to flirt and have fun?” Adrien nodded eagerly. 

“Yeah! I think it’s great for her. She doesn’t want a relationship, says it’s too much for her right now. It’ll probably really help her relax. ” A third of the students in his classroom burst into tears. He could just barely hear the class next door screaming “CODE F_BLUE ! CODE F_BLUE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!” 

As the school received  panicked mass  texts and the school-wide hysteria spread, Nino silently  mourned as he clutched his now useless Marinette Defense Brochure to his chest. The Brochure was now  inadequate to the power the Baby Blues, and anyone could be the next victim. 

OMAKE 2 :

“Oh god, here she comes.”

“Shit, Adrien is already here. Someone! Distract him!”

“Too late. His Marinette senses are too strong. Earplugs, stat!”

“Hey Marinette!” The suggestive tone could be heard even through their battle armor (earplugs). “You remind me of Deoxys.” 

“Oh? Why’s that?” Despite themselves, classmates listened to the geeky flirting.

“Because you’re out of this world, my princess.”

“Mon Cherie,  if I’m a princess, what does that make you ?” Many boys cursed their inability to smoothly flirt with Marinette. They couldn’t understand why Marinette now flirted with everyone, but they could only wish they were able to hold their own enough to attract her attention like Adrien had. 

“Of course that makes me your knight in shining armor!” Adrien puffed with pride, sure that would fluster her. 

“Oh Adrien, don’t you know? I’m a Mismagius.” Adrien’s breath caught.  His green eyes grew huge.Classmates took out their earplugs to hear her seductive rejoinder. 

“I’ll make all your wildest dreams come true.” A pained groan from Adrien announced Marinette’s victory. She gave a wild laugh and kissed him on the cheek. Adrien’s knees locked and he did his best model pose to avoid letting her know. 

“Oh, and  just so you know…”  Everyone waited for the final blow as Adrien closed his eyes in defeat. “I’m not a princess. I’m your warrior queen, little knight.”  With a flick of her hair and ‘Ooooohhhhhs’ following her, she  sashayed to class giggling . 

OMAKE 3:

Several boys fell to the floor, Adrien among them. While some boys felt their hearts  chase after Marinette and others cried at her lack of mercy, Adrien did both. His queen was possibly wittier than His Lady and he was so incredibly doomed. 

A collection of  heteronormative  girls grouped around Chloe, jealousy in their hearts. “I thought you were supposed to be the  Paris’  Queen, Chloe.” One of them asked faux innocently. Chloe gave an indifferent shrug.

“If she wanted me to call her Queen, I’d thank her for the opportunity.” Chloe strode away from the gaping girls, finally secure in her body and sexuality.


	14. Duusu’s darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything is resolved and everyone is satisfied.
> 
> Alternatively, Marinette fixes things, and Adrien appreciates her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend you watch Tom Holland’s Singing in the Rain Lip sync and Stephen Mercchant’s Hero lip sync (in opposite order) before reading the omake. 
> 
> This chapter was a monster, I have been typing for 3+ hours, so I’m not even sorry that it’s about 6 hours late. By monster, I mean the damn thing is about twice as long as any other chapter, and the omake had to be typed on a touch screen because my normal laptop died as I finished the main story.
> 
> It’s currently completely unedited because it’s nearly 6 a.m. I will likely fine tune this monster tomorrow, but until then, hopefully it’s not awful.
> 
> No one guessed the akuma. I was inspired by a certain Sailor Moon villain. It’s okay, it was a loose inspiration. Shout out to felicitylanding for the prompt, and Zaxtyneb33r for asking for bikers.

Facing Darkness 14: Prompt- “You are the least subtle person I know. Your ‘I have a secret’ vibe is literally visible from the moon.”

“My Lady?” Chat landed on top of the Police station, ready to go debrief everything regarding Hawkmoth. He was a little scared about the changes he could already feel with Hawkmoth captured. It was good he wasn’t home when they caught his father, as it erased all suspicions that he was a key player. When he went to the station as his civilian side earlier, they’d questioned him briefly but concluded he’d been kept entirely in the dark by his father. It was ironic that his father’s obsession with keeping him busy was the concrete evidence that he wasn’t involved, but he was just glad his civilian part in this was already over. 

Ladybug didn’t respond to Chat, lost in her thoughts. She too had been concerned about Adrien’s testimonial, but the police had been firm without cruelty and had remained professional, just as they had with all the staff from the Agreste Manor. Nathalie had been implicated by her own admission. She and Gabriel were being kept on opposite sides of the building from each other now.

Ladybug gathered her thoughts and turned abruptly to Chat. “You know how I said that we needed to concentrate on solving the akuma problem above everything else? That Hawkmoth would have to be our primary concern? I’ve let it override everything else in my life for weeks now. I’ve turned down my crush, I’ve drawn away from my friends, and I’ve disappointed my parents and now….” Ladybug’s eyes glistened with tears, and Chat Noir instinctively moved in to hold her.

As Ladybug let herself fall apart in her partner’s arms, she felt such trepidation and relief. It was painful, the combination. “I’m so scared, Chat. It’s finally over, but now….” Ladybug shuddered in a sob. Chat gripped her tighter and felt her press against him as hard as she could, taking as much of his strength as she was able.

“But now we have to be our other side full time, and it’s scary. Right?” Chat Noir finished for her. Ladybug sighed in relief, glad he could understand her. She should be happy to let go of the constant vigilance. She should be relieved that she could be Marinette again, just in time to really buckle down and start applying to University. Instead, she felt scared and uncomfortable. 

“Yes. I feel like I don’t fit into my civilian side’s body anymore. So much of my life has been ‘Ladybug’ for years now. What am I without the hero?” Ladybug hung her head. Chat gripped her arms and thrust her away gently. 

“You are the same person you’ve always been. So am I. Maybe you’re secretly a biker chick. Maybe I’m secretly a mad scientist. But just because Hawkmoth is gone, it doesn’t mean we can’t be there together anymore. I can be a biker! I’ll be the coolest biker chick you’re ever gonna meet.” Chat Noir thrust his chest out cockily, and Ladybug chuckled. 

“That’s impossible, Chat. My Grandma is the coolest biker chick, and neither of us is going to be able to take that from her. But I can introduce you?” Ladybug finally smiled and looked up at her partner. Chat’s breath caught. She was offering to do the reveal now!

“Yes. A thousand times yes. We are going to be the very best of friends, you’ll see!” Chat Noir was beaming. After nearly four years of fighting beside the most kickass girl he’d ever met, he’d finally get to know all of her! He danced around in excitement. 

“Oh? You wanna be besties with my grandma and not me?” Ladybug laughed to herself as Chat Noir froze and obviously rethought their conversation. He swung around, ready to argue but Ladybug continued talking. “That’s okay though. Maybe we can try out a different type of friendship.” Ladybug’s eyes glinted as she stared into Chat Noir’s. “Tikki, Spots Off. Hi Chat. Remember me?”

Chat Noir gaped as Tikki circled around them, giggling. The work Marinette had put in covering all the cameras on the roof of this building had been worth the look on Chat Noir’s face. The idea of the cameras had obviously not even occurred to him though.

“You? But…. You are the least subtle person I know. Your ‘I have a secret’ vibe is literally visible from the moon.” Chat paced away, rubbing his face. “Oh cats. I fell in love with you. Twice? Oh, and all the times you’ve rejected me. Oh CATS!” He swung around and dramatically pointed a finger at her. “You! ” Marinette stared back, half confused and half amused. “You confessed to me! And I turned you down! All this time! What! Is! This!”

Marinette raised her eyebrows and let him rant. Obviously he had some issues to work through before he realized she still didn’t know who he was. Though he did say he’d fallen for her twice. She absently wondered if he’d fallen for each side of her, or just Ladybug twice. It didn’t really matter, she’d decided already that she would try dating him if he was still interested. He was the only person who could truly understand her life at this point. 

“Marinetter, how could you! You let me think you were turning me down to concentrate on your designing!” Her mouth opened. There was only one boy she’d let think that, and if it was who she thought it was, she was about to start ranting too. “Oh cats. You still don’t know who I am, right? Plagg, Claws in!” As Marinette was blinded by neon green light, she already knew what she’d see.

“Hi Marinette.” Adrien waved at her before shivering absentmindedly. Marinette gawked. Okay, apparently she hadn’t known what she would see. She saw so much. So. Much. Adrien scratched his head, confused at her expression. When her face turned crimson and she just continued to sputter, he finally noticed Tikki giggling and Plagg silently banging his head against a wall.

“You.” Plagg growled. “You are the least cool holder I have ever had. You chose today to wear that?” Adrien looked down. And immediately screamed. 

“Plagg! Claws Out!” As Chat Noir rapidly turned red, he turned away and sped walked to the doorway. “I’m just gonna forget that happened. Going to debrief now Maribug! Marinette! Ladybug!” He slammed into the door as he rushed to enter it without opening it all the way and headed down by himself. Ladybug still hadn’t said a word.

“Marinette? Are you okay?” Tikki gently poked Marinette’s cheek. Marinette silently stared after her partner, completely unresponsive. “Oh dear. Well, someone might come soon, so I’m going to manually transform you, okay?” Tikki took the silence as consent and began spinning. 

Marinette was knocked from her shock at the feeling of power that turning into Ladybug provided. “What? Tikki? Where? Oh! Debriefing! De….brief…..eeeeeeek!” Marinette screamed loudly. As she continued to scream, dogs began to howl, and a few floors below her, Chat Noir winced and covered his ears. Ladybug ran out of air and began hyperventilating. As she paced and waved her hands at her face, she silently tried to get her breathing under control. 

Eventually she felt worn down enough to follow Chat Noir. She thought she could stay composed. To Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the entire station’s surprise, as soon as she saw him, she screeched. “YOU! THAT WAS ON PURPOSE! HOW DARE YOU!” Ladybug went to poke her partner before remembering what she’d seen and freezing as she colored up once more. 

Despite his best efforts, Chat felt himself turning maroon in mortification. “It was not! I didn’t know we were doing the reveal today! I didn’t know!” Chat yelled back. His voice broke on the first ‘didn’t’ and the police chief winced in sympathy. The onlookers looked between the two heroes, very interested in what they had ‘revealed’ to each other. 

“Oh, I bet my great creator you planned this! How dare you! Ladybug! Skin tight! You!” Ladybug devolved into gibberish and Chat Noir covered his face with his claws, crouching in embarrassment. The chief, feeling secondhand embarrassment for both of them, silently pushed Ladybug into his office before gently scooping up the cat hero and toting him inside. He set down the boy and gently closed the door. 

“Ahem. Business first, flirting later please. So here’s what we have.” He let himself ramble until the heroes mentally joined the conversation. It didn’t take very long at all for them to gather themselves up and he let out a breath of relief. The last thing he needed on top of finding Hawkmoth today was to suddenly know who the heroes he’d been depending on were. Within minutes the three were discussing the process of charging Mr. Agreste with terrorism and intent to murder. Nathalie was charged with assisting in both crimes, but no one was sure of the extent she had gone to. 

“One last thing. Since you’re the resident magic experts, I’m afraid I have some news for you. Mr. Agreste was keeping his wife in a magical coma in the basement.” As Chat literally fell over from shock, Ladybug gasped and knelt next to him, supportively wrapping an arm around his waist. The Police chief blinked down at them and decided to continue. “We don’t know how to fix it, and we didn’t want to mention it to Adrien Agreste when we weren’t sure if anyone else could fix it. Do you know anything about it?”

Ladybug looked between Chat and the police chief. “I’ll ask around. Keep it under your hat for now. Is she breathing?” The police chief nodded, and Ladybug manhandled Chat into standing. “Then we’ll be on our way for now, and as soon as I have any news, I’ll contact you, okay?” Then Ladybug was shuffling Chat Noir out the door as the Police chief said goodbye to their shadows. 

*******************

“Come on, Chat. Let’s go meet the Guardian. He might know something. Chat, just follow me, ok? Chat?” Ladybug quickly ushered Chat down the street, not taking the roofs simply because she wasn’t sure Chat could concentrate enough to do that right now.  Chat remained silent, his eyes glazed and his breathing shallow. 

“Shit. Okay. Chat? I’m gonna carry you, okay?” With no response, Ladybug got just a little more frantic. She grabbed him, blushing as she remembered what he was wearing underneath her hands, but determined to be here for her friend above all else. Holding him close with her left arm, she used her right to propel them into the sky. 

Circling around in a spiral to confuse anyone that might be looked at them this late at night, Ladybug eventually landed a block from Mr. Fu’s house. She quickly shuffled Chat to the door and began ringing the doorbell. Chat finally began to respond to the real world again. 

“Wait, didn’t he get his memory wiped?” Chat questioned Ladybug. Ladybug waited impatiently until she finally heard shuffling inside. She turned back to her partner, glad he was finally talking again. 

“Yes, but it was a temporary situation. The effects wore off last year, and he came to visit me, letting me know that he was prepared to finish training me to take over Guardianship. We kept it a secret between us, as he’s a family friend already. My visits to him were written off because of that, but apparently your situation was different.” Ladybug stared for a moment, connecting the dots. 

“Well shit. No wonder he didn’t contact you. We were still suspicious of Mr. Agreste, and if he contacted you any more than he had during his memory loss, it might have tipped off Hawkmoth again. I’m so glad we didn’t tell you!” Chat blinked at her, still mentally slugging through the information. “I mean! I’m sorry we didn’t, but also, it’s really good that we didn’t!”

Chat just stared back, unwilling to comment on being excluded right now. He was really glad they could ask the Guardian about his maman, but he felt very conflicted about being left out of the loop because they’d been suspecting his father for years. Well, at least they’d been right in their suspicions. This was his life now, he supposed.

“Ah, Ladybug, Chat Noir, how nice of you to drop in. Please, welcome, welcome.” Master Fu ushered them inside and into his tea room. As the heroes sat down in an awkward silence, Master Fu put water on to boil and set out some cookies. Chat Noir began munching on autopilot while Ladybug stewed in silence. Finally, Master Fu came back with tea and as he passed the cups around, Ladybug sighed and dropped her transformation.

Master Fu jolted. “Marinette! Is it alright to be unmasking in front of Chat Noir?” Marinette made a face as she offered Tikki a cookie.  Master Fu got out two thimbles that had been hidden under his table and filled one for Tikki. Tikki chirped her thanks to both before devouring her cookie with glee.

“We did the reveal earlier tonight. It was… eventful.” Chat Noir jolted at remembering what he was wearing beneath his transformation and flushed a bit. Desperate to keep her from saying anything to Master Fu, he blurted out the question on his mind. 

“Can you fix magic Comas?” 

Master Fu stared at him thoughtfully. Ladybug groaned quietly before sipping her tea. That wasn’t how she was going to bring it up, but it was definitely more important to Adrien than it could ever be for her, so she let him take the lead. 

“Did Hawkmoth go into a coma?” Master Fu questioned. Both heroes jolted. 

“Can he do that?!” “Is he going to-?!”

Master Fu glanced between them and decided that apparently it wasn’t Hawkmoth. “Then perhaps you’re talking about Duusu’s previous holder, who used Duusu without permission or regard for a damaged miraculous and what that would mean for them?” He sipped his tea as the teens glanced at each other, unsure.

Marinette silently asked Chat Noir if he wanted to explain but he shook his head, afraid he’d mess something up. Marinette nodded at him. “No, Master Fu. Or, well we don’t really know. All we know is that Gabriel Agreste had his wife hidden in the basement in a magical coma. The police asked if we could do anything about it.”

Master Fu set his cup down. He leveled a stern glare on Marinette and she drooped, already seeing the problem. Before he could start his lecture, she scalded her tongue on her tea as she gulped it down and grabbed Tikki as she stood. 

“Right. I’ll go get the kwami. Be back in a bit!” Marinette dashed off, leaving Master Fu and Chat Noir in an uncomfortable silence. 

“So…” Chat Noir attempted. “How’s life been?”

“Ah,” Master Fu replied. “More peaceful than you could imagine until recently.”

“That’s… good?” Chat noir trailed off, unsure.

“That’s debatable,” Master Fu sighed. 

A few minutes later, a breathless Ladybug came rushing in carrying a basket. 

“I’m back! Let’s get to work!” Master Fu relaxed, and Chat Noir blinked, confused.

“Work?” Ladybug glanced at him and grinned. “I talked to the kwami on the way here! I can fix it! I just have to fix the  Peacock Miraculous, and your mother and Ms. Nathalie will both recover naturally over time!” Chat Noir fell back, relief and nerves accosting him in equal measure. Master Fu gave Ladybug a censuring glance. 

“There’s no ‘just’ about it, Ladybug. It’s not an easy task by any means.” As he tried to warn Ladybug of the difficulty, she confidently settled in and grabbed the Peacock Miraculous. Regardless of what he said, she knew she could do this, and failure wasn’t an option for her. It was too important to her partner, and she wouldn’t let him down.

“I’ve got this, Master Fu. Tikki will help me, and it might take me some time to recover, but now that we’ve taken care of all the villains, I can take my time if I need to. Now, what should I change this to?” She held up the miraculous and asked the Kwami for their input. As Duusu and Nooroo both talked over each other, Wayzz fell out of the basket Ladybug brought, holding red fabric.

“Good to see you, old friend. What’s that?” Master Fu gently pulled the cloth out of the basket as he greeted Wayzz. Wayzz sighed in relief as he floated above Chat Noir. He gestured for Master Fu to remove the other red fabric still in the basket before he answered.

“It’s clothes for Chat Noir. Ladybug said he needed some.” As Wayzz judgmentally stared down at the cat hero, Master Fu started snickering and Chat silently tried to suffocate himself to death. Of all the days to go heroing in his undies, it would be today. He grabbed the clothes Wayzz pointed to and silently trudged to the bathroom without comment. 

When he returned, Master Fu eyed the fed up Cat God and the embarrassed model with amusement.  Adrien was wearing a Marinette original outfit, gender neutral Ladybug pajamas. “So what was he wearing, Plagg?” 

Plagg flew into his face and said with utmost disgust. “Tighty-bugs.” Master Fu’s mouth opened, but he didn’t even know the right question to ask. Plagg glared. “Don’t ask.” Adrien buried his face in his hands and just groaned.

“Okay! We think we’ll change the pin into a cell phone charm instead. It’ll take less material, and can be more accurate to the new Duusu.” Adrien and Master Fu looked up at Ladybug, surprised at the new accessory plan. At their questioning looks, Ladybug smiled. “Duusu has changed, and he doesn’t want to be the same type of accessory anymore. I think it’s understandable, don’t you?” The men just smiled and nodded, knowing their opinion wasn’t important here.

“Do you need anything from us, Ladybug?” Master Fu asked. Adrien wasn’t sure he could do anything, but he’d be willing to help if she did.

“I may pass out after this. Can you make sure I get home safely?” Ladybug stared into her partner’s eyes, completely confident he would be willing to take her home. Adrien nodded silently, a blush starting up. Ladybug winked. “Feel free to join me in bed if you get tired, Pretty Kitty.” Master Fu coughed, uncomfortable. Adrien felt lightheaded at how quickly the blood rushed through his body. He thunked his head against the table and groaned.

Ladybug laughed and cupped the miraculous in her hand s . As her hand s began to glow, Duusu squeaked as they were sucked into the  jewelry. Before everyone’s eyes, Ladybug slowly glowed brighter and brighter, the light pulsing in time with her heartbeat. The glow soon became too blinding for the humans to keep watching and Master Fu guided Adrien to the kitchen where they waited for some sign. The kwami circled around Ladybug, humming a tune unknown to humankind. The humming and glowing continued for what felt like hours, but only truly lasted for about half an hour. 

As the humming increased in volume and the tone went higher and higher, the glow suddenly intensified enough that Master Fu and Adrien could see it through the wall between them. Adrien felt like he couldn’t breathe, and he noticed Master Fu clutching his chest with huge eyes. As Adrien turned to ask Master Fu if he was alright, the humming cut off, the world went dark, and they heard a thump from the tea room.

Adrien blinked and realized the world was just back to the brightness it normally would be, and together with Master Fu, they rushed back to the tea room. They froze in the doorway.

Marinette was curled on her side, protectively cradling Tikki and a new Kwami. The other kwami were laying around her in a perfect star formation. Master Fu rushed to Wayzz as Adrien rushed to Marinette. He tried to wake her but couldn’t get a response. Frantic, he reached for Plagg and gently began scratching his belly while chanting his name.

None of the kwami would wake, and Marinette was dead to the world. Master Fu checked that everyone was breathing and tried to examine the new kwami but was unable to get a good look.  It looked like Duusu, but the colors were inverted, and its tail remained tightly wrapped around its body as it clutched a charm to itself. With a sigh, Master Fu sat back and scratched his head. Adrien looked at him beseechingly. 

“Are they okay?” Master Fu nodded reluctantly. 

“They should be. We need to get Marinette home, but without the kwami, we’ll be questioned carrying an unconscious girl around Paris in the dead of night. Perhaps we can simply stay the night here? When the kwami wake, we’ll be able to do more.” Master Fu stood to get blankets for the teens. Adrien clutched Plagg to him and curled protectively around Marinette. 

When Master Fu returned, he was surprised to see Adrien already asleep, tightly clutching his partners. He’d planned to move them both to a spare mat, but he was too old to that himself now. Instead, he draped a couple of blankets over the teenagers and gently picked up the kwami and tucked them into Marinette’s arms under the blankets. Cradling Wayzz close, he returned to bed.

********* 

Marinette stirred, warmer and more comfortable than she had ever felt before. She turned over, clutching her treasures, and buried her head into the warmth. She knew she was home. She went back to sleep.

**********

Adrien woke to Marinette snuggling in to him. Before he was aware of his own actions, he clutched her tightly. Plagg, being squeezed too tightly, hissed and Adrien let go in reflex. As Adrien sleepily watched, Plagg grumbled, too tired to fly. Instead, the Cat God literally rolled until he found his holder,  then crawled all over until he found Tikki snuggled between the two heroes. Without ever opening his eyes. Snuggling up, he went back to sleep. Adrien, having been too amused to say anything silently ‘squeed’ at the cuteness before dropping back off for a bit. 

Soon he heard Master Fu up and shuffling. When Adrien sat up, Plagg woke again. The two stared at each other, knowing they needed to get Marinette and the kwami home, but still too warm and comfortable to move. Master Fu strolled in and gently tucked Wayzz into the basket. 

Adrien, embarrassed at being caught lazing around quickly stood up. Master Fu gestured for silence and offered Adrien a cup of water. As Adrien gratefully drank, Master Fu showed him the time. It was about 5 in the morning, and if they didn’t get Marinette home soon, she’d be discovered missing. With mutual sighs, they began cleaning everything up. 

Together, they gathered the kwami and placed them gently in a bundle in the basket. The kwami curled up around each other like kittens, continuing to sleep even as they adjusted to a new space. Adrien and Master Fu quietly cooed at the cuteness until Plagg swiped at Adrien waspishly. 

“I’m tired, Adrien, and I wanna sleep. Let’s get home.” Plagg grumbled quietly. Adrien nodded and whispered his transformation phrase. With a nod to Master Fu, he picked Marinette up and Master Fu handed him the basket. 

Chat Noir ran through the streets with a bundled up Marinette until he got to her house. Then he jumped onto adjacent roofs until he could reach her balcony. With a relieved sigh, he dropped into the already open trap door and set Marinette down. As he reached over her to set the basket by the bed, Marinette’s arms reached out and pulled him on top of her. 

With a happy sigh, Adrien released his transformation and snuggled in. Everything else could wait. They were together. They were home.

OMAKE:

A few weeks after Hawkmoth was revealed and Mrs. Agreste was found, the school held a fundraiser. It was the first public event Mrs. Agreste was attending, and the seats sold out within weeks. The classes were putting on a lipSync Battle, and the audience bought expensive tickets to attend. They had been planning this for months, and the anticipation was killing everyone. 

As the audience settled into their expensive and coveted seats, they scrolled through the list of performers. To keep the suspense, no one had the song they were performing listed, but it had been announced far and wide that Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Chang would be performing.

The two had been flirting constantly for months now, and everyone was ready for them to just get together already. Mrs. Agreste had only been conscious for two weeks now, and after only two meetings with Marinette had been heard muttering about UST and “If Adrien doesn’t step up soon, I’m going to have to talk to Sabine!”

To everyone’s disappointment, they were performing separately according to their pamphlets. As the lights dimmed and the performances began there was a buzz in the air. While only about twenty students were performing, the first, middle and last performers were very well known.

Chloe performed admirably with Barbie Girl. Adrien even played her Ken, to everyone’s amusement. Chloe’s attempts to walk like a doll however were an abysmal failure. The audience choked back laughter when Chloe nearly fell, walking straight legged onto the stage, but it was a great opener. 

To everyone’s surprise, Adrien dragged Marinette to a seat on the stage for his performance. As the music began, Adrien knelt beside her, so he was facing her and whispered “Let me be your hero.” He then dramatically mimed the lyrics, crying, singing out loud “I can be your hero baby!” Now the audience understood why he was wearing a Ladybug outfit. He looked way too eager to ‘kiss away her pain’ and Marinette covered her face, completely done with this silly boy.

As the song switched to Spanish, Adrien did a credible job mouthing it, and in the final lyrics, he dramatically crawled to her, clutching her hands, then trailing up to her flaming face as he belted out the final “Let me be, your he-e-ro!” Marinette nearly stood up before he finished, with his face so close to hers, and him staring so soulfully into her eyes, she thought she’d have a heart attack.

They had been hovering on the edge of friends and lovers ever since they’d woken together in her bed the day after Duusu was reincarnated. They had slept late enough that Marinette’s parents had to have seen Adrien in her bed, but Sabine had simply stocked Marinette’s bathroom with condoms and let them be. Marinette hadn’t told Adrien about that, too embarrassed that her parents assumed they were having sex before they were dating. 

So they’d remained in limbo as Adrien was ‘told’ his mother had been found and was recovering in the hospital. They danced around each other, flirting shamelessly, touching each other brazenly now, but refusing to admit to anyone that anything had changed between them. The bets across the school were frozen, as no one could prove anything, and everyone watched shamelessly. 

As Adrien finished his performance and Marinette stared back into his beautiful green eyes, she smiled sweetly. Adrien felt his heart skip a beat, and just as Marinette leaned forward, the lights on the stage cut off.

“Not yet, Mon Cherie. Wait your turn.” Marinette whispered to him. He dropped back and let her stand, and they left the stage together as the audience roared in outrage. Was the ship sailing? No one knew but everyone wanted to. The audience spent the rest of the night on the edge of their seats.

The next performer felt incredible pressure from the audience, and as a result, they quailed and made mistakes. As they stalked off the stage, they grumbled about stupid idiots in love messing everyone’s groove up.

The Bookkeeper of bets performed, singing “Money ain’t a thang” and garnering laughs with her antics. Her partner performed right after her, doing “99 problems” and making everyone uncomfortable with all the blacked out words.

One girl dramatically performed “Wrecking Ball” but fell while performing and started crying. As her music continued, Marinette and Adrien worked together to comfort her and clear the stage. The audience applauded her efforts, and everyone quietly skipped to the next performer.

Finally, it was Marinette’s turn. As one of the organizers, she’d been able set her performance for whenever she wanted and she’d chosen to go last. The audience and Adrien were ready to howl from the painful anticipation. They needed to know. No one knew what they needed but everyone agreed. It was time, and they needed whatever it was, now.

As the music started, Marinette strolled onstage with the umbrella that started her obsession. She was wearing a mixture between Chat Noir’s outfit and some kind of shorts with combat boots and the audience buzzed. She hadn’t been wearing this earlier. Marinette was in all black except for a golden bell around her collar, and had some kind of see through stockings going into the short shorts. The long sleeve Chat Noir jacket was very well done, and Adrien felt a purr building up behind his throat. The audience may not understand the significance, but she was wearing his outfit and he felt very possessive.

Adrien, standing in the wings leaned forward. He was fairly certain that was his umbrella. Was she going to do what he thought? As he started to grin in anticipation, Marinette started lip syncing. “You have my heart,” and smiled. To his shock, she stared straight at him through the first stanza. Then she crooked a finger and gestured for him to join her on stage as she danced and lip synced to the chorus. 

“When the sun shines, we’ll shine together” As her hips jerked side to side with the music, Adrien’s jaw dropped. When Marinette dropped her hips to the floor and spread her knees open and shut, he literally stumbled and nearly fell. She used the umbrella as a prop, swinging it around as she strode towards him on stage. Adrien felt his legs stop working as she straddled the umbrella and humped it briefly. 

When she started circling him and thrusting her hips in beat to the music at intervals, he let a whine out. He wasn’t prepared to be used as a prop! As though she could hear his thoughts, she faced away from him, giving him an excellent view of her bottom as she used the umbrella as a pole and dropped to her haunches before thrusting twice and sliding back up. Adrien gulped, getting a better view than anyone else as she rose once more. 

The audience roared, floored by her coordination, her seductive moves, and her outfit. While everyone was breathlessly waiting to see if Adrien would be a part of the show, they were content to scream and yell at Marinette’s daring. As the lyrics began with “You can run into my arms” Marinette approached Adrien and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Hesitantly he set his hands on her hips, only to lose hold as she swayed her way down and up his body. He felt the blood rush to his face as he got an incredible view of Marinette going down before she seductively came back up and jerked her hips against his gently. Completely on accident, he fell over and just stared up at her surprised face. 

Marinette stared back for a millisecond before the lyrics continued and she scrambled to remember what she’d planned. Adrien was content to literally sit on his ass and stare at this goddess until Marinette turned away to keep dancing. With Marinette popping and jerking and moving around so confidently, Adrien considered just quietly leaving the stage before he embarrassed himself further. 

Right as Adrien was getting to his knees so he could leave, Marinette turned back to him. He froze with one knee still on the ground and he saw one of her eyebrows twitch and her face start to form a grin before she schooled it back to the serious mien she had aimed for. Jerking the umbrella side to side as she approached him on his knee, Adrien scrambled to stand. He wasn’t sure he could survive a close up of her hips moving near his face. 

Marinette got close and spun so she was dancing against him. He could feel the heat of her as she leaned her upper body against him and occasionally her hips pressed against him as she danced. As he was praying for some miracle to keep her from realizing the exact effect she was achieving, the song was wrapping up, and she opened the umbrella as she spun around to face him again. She wrapped an arm around his neck and used the other to hold the umbrella while she wrapped a leg around his waist.

At the last “Eh” Marinette dropped the umbrella to hide their faces from the audience and leaned in for a kiss. As the audience screamed in both fury and awe, Marinette received a standing ovation. Adrien realized at the last second that Marinette was waiting for him to decide whether to kiss her or not. He leaned forward that last millimeter to meet her and closed his eyes, drinking in the roar of the crowd and the heat of her soft lips.

Marinette was panting from her dancing, so her hot breaths kept drifting across his lips as they ghosted over each other’s sensitive flesh. The first kiss was so tentative her first breath broke it immediately, but Adrien simply leaned in for more. Again and again in quick, hot flashes of warmth and happiness, they kissed. 

As Adrien pulled her in closer and gripped her hips, she dropped the umbrella and wrapped her other arm around him in return. Marinette let her other leg drop from his hips absently, and they stayed in this limbo, gently exploring each other’s lips until someone screaming nearby shocked them into stopping. 

Marinette glanced around to see Alya on the stage using her camera to record, while Adrien just continued to drink in the sight of Marinette flushed and panting and smiling in his arms. Money was changing hands, everyone was screaming, but Adrien and Marinette looked at each other and could only grin. 

Without a word, they’d crossed into new territory together. They still didn’t know what the future would hold, but they knew they handle it. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much sap. I’m almost ashamed. I hope everyone enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


End file.
